Drifting Country Flower
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Hannah is a young 15 year old girl who goes to live with her uncle to get away from her so-called family and she buys a blue car and a boom box from a junkyard. Her life won't be the same again. Drift and OC Guardian-Charge story with some others.
1. Prologue: 10 years later

**In the poll, this story got the most votes to be written after I had finished "Revenge Never Heals, Unlike Time". So here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Hannah, Charlotte, and Jason in this story. Transformers belong to Hasbro and all songs that will be used in this story belong to their respective owners. Also, this story takes place a bit during and then after "Transformers: Age Of Extinction".**

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**Drifting Country Flower**

It's now been ten years since Cemetery Wind was put out of commission, never to rise again. The human made Transformers were also decommissioned and the government had been working on a new peace treaty with the Autobots. Now, not everyone knew about the Autobots, but the humans that did worked on living in harmony with the Autobots.

Thankfully, a hidden All-Spark shard Optimus had found in space before he returned to Earth was used to repair Ratchet, whom he had been able to rescue when Lockdown and Cemetery Wind had pinned him down, but thanks to Optimus' quick use of his hidden teleporting technology, he got the medic out of there and repaired fully with the shard after the others had fixed Ratchet as best they could while fighting Cemetery Wind.

Now, all was at peace and the Autobots didn't have to worry about being turned against the humans again or worry about humans being afraid of them and hopefully, no more stress.

But what they didn't know, especially seven of the twelve gathered Autobots, was that they would get involved in another war that would test the loyalty of the Autobots to the humans.

Especially one human girl.

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**Read on!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	2. Luxury Isn't Always Great

**Chapter 2: Luxury Isn't Always Great**

Hannah looked around at the lavishly-dressed guests that her parents had invited to this big party, a party that celebrated her father's new position in a big firm in the city. She walked over to the window, trying not to trip in her too-high high heels her mother was making her wear along with the dress that was too short for Hannah's liking and too off the shoulder. To be honest, she thought she looked hideous right now, although everyone commented on how beautiful she was, but the comments made her feel like a statue or another piece of expensive art that everyone could stare at.

The outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio, were thankfully quiet for a change and Hannah stepped outside, walking to the side of the house where she could be alone. She looked up and spotted Charlotte, a kind, black lady who had pretty much raised Hannah from infanthood and the girl liked Charlotte very much, because she listened and never brushed off her worries. It was the reason Hannah wished that she was Charlotte's daughter instead of being the daughter of two rich parents who only cared about money and expensive things. Charlotte, seeing Hannah lean against the side of the house, came up to her, puffing a bit. She wasn't overweight, just a little plump from her delicious cooking, but Hannah thought it made her character shine more.

"You doing okay, honey girl?" Charlotte asked Hannah now.

The girl smiled a little. "A bit better, but still I feel so out of place," she said, rubbing her head at the base of where her brown hair was tightly pulled up into a round bun surrounded by a gold crown of gems. It really hurt her now and the dress was a bit tight and the heels were killing her feet so much that she kept shifting to try and ease the pain a bit.

Charlotte shook her head. "I know how you feel, honey girl," she said gently. "We'll talk tonight. Right now, I need to get the rest of the food out and make sure everything's set and you need to get back inside for now."

Nodding, Hannah did as she was told, wincing in pain again, but she tried to hide it with a smile that felt really fake to her, but she had to put it on for show, sadly.

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It was close to midnight when the party finally ended and all the guests left, promising to come back another time. Hannah's parents at once planned a cruise for two, not even thinking once about Hannah. In truth, they never thought about her as their daughter or anything beyond just something to show off.

Hannah walked to her room and sat down on her bed, tears in her eyes as her feet were now really sore. Charlotte came in and helped the fifteen-year-old out of the horrible dress and the shoes and put them away while Hannah dressed into jeans and a t-shirt, sighing in relief as she fell back on her small bed. It was a twin bed and a bit too small for her, but at the moment, she really didn't care.

Charlotte sat down beside her and Hannah sat up too. "Charlotte, I'm getting so tired of this," the girl complained. "I wish I was anywhere but here."

"Well," said Charlotte, handing her an envelope. "This came today in the mail."

Charlotte had always gotten the mail and separated it for the master and mistress, who never went out once to get the mail, so any letters that came to Hannah were safely hidden by Charlotte and brought to the young girl in the evenings. The letters were from the girl's uncle, Jason, who was her favorite relative. He lived in Dusty Peak, Oklahoma, a small town but a quiet one. Hannah even had pictures that he had sent her and she thought the town was beautiful and always wanted to go there. She then opened the new letter and a plane ticket fell out. Hannah couldn't believe it and read the letter.

"Uncle Jason wants me to come out to Oklahoma," she said in an excited whisper. "He got my letter about wanting to visit and stay with him."

"I'm happy for you, honey girl. Your stuff's ready to go, but we need to get you on that plane tonight," said Charlotte. "Your plane leaves at one o'clock. We'll walk to the airport and get you on that flight."

"You packed my computer, IPhone, music player, books, and all?" Hannah asked, surprised.

Charlotte smiled. "All were shipped overnight to your uncle's place as he paid for it all to be shipped there. I think he's considering adopting you as his daughter," she said.

The teenager smiled. "He was always interested in what I was doing in school and all when he visited. He acted more like a dad than my birth dad," she said.

The black lady nodded and picked up Hannah's suitcase and they sneaked outside in the dark and headed for the airport, which was thankfully only a twenty-minute walk away. Hannah wore a hoodie as the night air was cold and they made it to the airport in time and through security easily. It seemed that Hannah, under the alias Cheyenne Strait, was expected there and was asked for autographs. Thankfully, there was no press around, which made her happy and she signed autographs for the guards and the night people at the airport, who agreed to keep the whole matter hush-hush.

The plane pulled in, ready to leave in about ten minutes. Hannah hugged Charlotte. "I wish you were coming with me," she said to her.

Charlotte rubbed her back. "I may be joining you sometime in the future in Oklahoma, honey girl," she said. "So keep that chin up and don't be sad," she said.

The teenager nodded. "I love you, Mama Charlotte," she said, happy to have the black lady in her life who cared about her like a mother would a daughter.

"I love you too, my little honey girl," said Charlotte, using her term of endearment for the girl.

Breaking away, Hannah quickly went aboard the plane with her backpack and her suitcase with her. Because the plane only had a few other passengers, she was allowed to bring on the suitcase and her backpack. Settling down in her chosen seat by the window, Hannah gazed out and saw Charlotte standing by the window of the airport watching the plane now back up to get ready for take-off. The girl waved and saw Charlotte waved back, forming her right hand into the universal sign of "I love you," in affection. Hannah formed the same sign with her own right hand, just as the plane started to taxi down the runway and neither Hannah nor Charlotte could see each other anymore.

Charlotte watched the plane take off and went back to the lavish house, getting plans together to join the girl in Oklahoma soon. She just needed some more time with something she was working on. "Dear Heavenly Father, please keep my little honey girl safe," she said to herself in prayer before moving to her duties.

Hannah was also praying as the plane lifted off into the beautiful night sky. "Dear God, please keep Charlotte safe and guide me to always do what's right, no matter what happens down in Oklahoma," she said to herself, settling herself in the seat for a quick three-hour power nap before she'd wake up again in time to enjoy the rest of the six hour flight to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where her uncle would meet her and her new life would begin in the small, quiet town called Dusty Peak, Oklahoma.

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**Well, what's going to happen? Read on!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	3. Born For The Country

**Chapter 3: Born For The Country**

After her nap, Hannah woke up with only an hour left in her flight. She realized she must have overslept, but that was okay because she had been really tired. She now grabbed her IPhone and put in her ear buds, listening to the country group called "Alabama". Their song, "Born Country" made her smile as she realized she in a way had been born country. She didn't care for the high-end part of life. She was much more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt.

After about half-an-hour of listening to her music, she put it away and pulled out a book to read. She was so into the story that she almost jumped out of her seat when the intercom system sounded that they'd be in Oklahoma City soon. Fastening her seatbelt, Hannah looked out the window, eagerly ready to start a new life in the country.

The flat, desert landscape looked very appealing to her as she gazed over it. It was all so natural and wide open, making her think of the Dixie Chicks song "Wide Open Spaces", which was one of her favorite songs. She smiled as she felt the plane land gently on the airstrip and pull up to the gate. She glanced around and realized she was the only person on board as the other three passengers had been let off at two other locations the plane had stopped in for fuel. Waiting until the plane came to a complete stop, she felt excitement fill her and smiled.

The kind stewardess came up. "Just you, miss?" she asked with a southern accent in her voice as she smiled.

"Yes, ma'am, just me," Hannah responded and grabbed her suitcase and her backpack.

"Alright, welcome to Oklahoma, part of the wild west," said the stewardess as she walked beside Hannah to the entrance of the gate.

"Thank you," said the fifteen-year-old as she looked around for her uncle, quickly spotting him in the seats at the gate and he spotted her just as fast and smiled. He hadn't changed at all and still had that fatherly look about it. "There's my uncle. Thank you again, ma'am."

The stewardess nodded with a smile before returning to her post as Hannah rushed forward quickly but carefully with her bags into her uncle's welcoming hug. "Uncle Jason," she said happily.

"Hannah, my dear," he greeted. "How was your flight?"

"Well, I was asleep for most of it, but the last hour was good," Hannah answered. "Thanks for letting me come. I really couldn't stand another moment in that dreadful house."

Jason smiled, although he agreed with his niece. "Yes, my brother is very extravagant, isn't he?" he asked.

"Try over-lavish and you're close. I'm just glad I can actually feel like I belong now."

Both shared a smile, knowing how true that was. Dusty Peak was a town where everyone knew everyone and was a place where everyone got along and went out of their way to make new people feel welcome. She vaguely remembered one time that she had been out there when she was little, but her parents hadn't liked it at all that it wasn't 'civilized', as they had put it.

But Hannah liked the hospitality and would take it over being waited on hand-and-foot any day. Although she did miss Charlotte a bit since the lady besides her uncle Jason understood her.

"Uncle Jason, Charlotte said she might be joining us sometime soon, is that true?" Hannah asked hopefully.

"I hope so," said Jason before he got a very dreamy look on his face at the mention of Charlotte. Hannah gave him a confused look and then shrugged, although she was a bit curious.

"So, on to Dusty Peak!" she said cheerfully.

That seemed to make Jason jump. "Uh, yes," said her uncle. "To Dusty Peak."

He let her niece to a sleek, green-and-black corvette that looked new and unlike any corvette she had seen before. The ones she had seen back home had slim bodies and looked like they could barely fit a driver and a passenger. But this one looked like it could hold four people.

"Wow, this is your car, Uncle Jason?" she asked in amazement.

"Yes," he said, seeming proud that his niece liked it. "I know it's not as fancy as the cars you've always seen, but it works for me."

"Actually," said Hannah. "I like this car better than those fancy, over-done cars that I have seen when my dad throws a big party. Some of those cars are so small I wonder how they can fit in a passenger, let alone a driver. This car is something I'd chose for a party. It looks way more comfortable and it's sleek in a more modest way, so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb."

Jason smiled and patted the car on the hood. "Yes, he does, doesn't he?" he asked.

"He?" Hannah asked for a moment and then her expression brightened. "Oh, you named your car a masculine name? Like KITT from Knight Rider?"

Jason quickly nodded. "Yes, although it's a special name. You'll find out what it is later," he said, relieved that his niece had accepted it so fast and hoped she wouldn't notice anything else, but she seemed eager to ride in the car to her uncle's ranch.

Jason put Hannah's suitcase and backpack in the trunk and got behind the wheel and saw Hannah eyeing the radio. "You wouldn't by chance have Rascal Flatts, would you?" she asked hopefully.

Smiling, he produced the CD by Rascal Flatts called "Feels Like Today" and Hannah let out a small squeal of delight. "That one's my favorite CD from them!" she said excitedly.

"It's my favorite too," said her uncle as he put the CD in and turned up the volume as he then drove the car out of the city and into the country as both he and Hannah were singing "Fast Cars And Freedom".

And Hannah didn't once notice that her uncle wasn't actually driving the car, nor did she suspect that the car was watching her and her uncle as it drove down the road to her uncle's home that was his pride and joy, Flower High Ranch.

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**Hmm. Anyone want to take a guess as to who that green car really is? Y'all are welcome to do so in the reviews.**

**Also, please be nice in the reviews, no flames.**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	4. Finding A Niche

**A/N: Forgot to mention in chapter 2 that Hannah's alias 'Cheyenne Strait' is a combination of country singer George Strait's last name and his hit song 'Cheyenne' which belongs to him. Just wanted to clarify that.**

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**Chapter 4: Finding a niche **

They arrived at the Flower High Ranch after a bit and Jason helped his niece carry her bags to her new room. When Hannah opened the door, she stopped short in shock, gazing at her new room that had all of her favorite things in it. Her shock grew into a giant smile.

"Yay!" she squealed happily, dancing around the room as Jason placed her bags to the side, chuckling at his niece's antics, but he was glad that she was happy.

"I assume you like it?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Hannah said excitedly before glomping her uncle, who chuckled and hugged her back.

After lunch, Hannah followed her uncle to his shed that he had built to fix any old electronics or stuff he found at junkyards or places looking to just sell scrap. She was amazed by all of it.

"Could you teach me, Uncle Jason?" she asked him eagerly.

He seemed surprised. "You want to get your hands dirty?" he asked chuckling.

"Hey, I'm not afraid of hard work," Hannah declared. "I want to help."

Jason smiled. "Alright," he said and suddenly lunged toward the teenage girl, who let out a squeak and ran with him chasing her and catching her. Hannah burst into laughter as she was tickled by her uncle.

"Where's that cute laugh?" Jason teased his niece as she kept laughing, unable to stop as he tickled her stomach and sides.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Hannah laughed out. "Uncle Jason! That tickles!"

Jason only laughed and tickled her stomach faster, making her shriek and giggle. "There's that cute laugh!" he said teasingly as he still tickled her, although she managed to roll away and jump up and run with him chuckling as he chased after her.

"It's the Claw and it's coming to get you!" he teased her.

"The Claw" was just his hand, but it was a playful expression that meant he was going to give her a big tickle torture. Hannah shrieked with laughter as she quickly hid behind his car, using it as a shield to defend herself, but that didn't last as her uncle caught her again and tickled her.

Finally, he stopped and chuckled as she tried to catch her breath. "Alright," he said. "How about we go to the junkyards and look for stuff to fix?"

"Okay," said Hannah with a smile.

Five minutes later, they were at a junkyard and Hannah looked around for stuff. So far, all she saw was bits of scrap. "Hmm," she said to herself and was about to turn away when she stopped and looked at a blue car sitting by a junk pile. The car looked really beat up to her surprise, but looked fixable too. She then spotted what looked to be an old boom box. Opening the cassette holder, she found five cassettes inside. "Man, someone didn't take care of this," she said. "I wonder what's on them."

Shrugging, she called her uncle over and he took a look. "You want these to be your projects?" he asked her.

"Sure!" she said. "It would give me good practice."

Nodding, Jason asked the owner how much and the guy said one hundred dollars for both, which Hannah paid right then. "Thank you!" she said cheerfully, eager to get to work.

The man delivered the junk they had bought and Rachel took a look to see what could be salvaged and what couldn't be. After checking the car and seeing she could repair it all, she glanced out the window and moved over to it, feeling a bit sad that Charlotte wasn't there. She'd be thrilled to see Hannah working on something other than trying to impress rich folks at her father's insistence.

Hannah then remembered Charlotte's song that she always sang to cheer her up when she was down and she now began to sing it.

Singing the song made Hannah feel a bit better as she quickly assessed that the car and the boom box with the cassettes could be fixed and put them to the side to fix tomorrow.

Only she didn't know about the eyes watching her as she left.

Nor did she know that she was in for the biggest shock and surprise of her life the next day.

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**Anyone want to take a guess as to who that blue car is and that boom box with those five cassettes? You may do so in the reviews. Next chapter should be up next week.**

**Until then, please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	5. Fix-It Girl

**I first want to say, Wow! 19 reviews already? Thank you so much! You guys are great!**

**Also, many of you made great guesses as to who the blue car and the Boom Box and Cassettes were. The blue car is Drift from the fourth Transformers movie and the boom box and cassettes are Blaster and Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Rewind, Eject, and Sunder (a phoniex that was released for the thirtieth celebration of G1 Transformers toys along with the other four cassettes and Blaster was made to have a car form, but since we all know him as a boom box, I decided to keep the boom box as his form. Enjoy!**

**I only own Hannah, Charlotte, and Jason.**

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**Chapter 5: Fix-it Girl**

"I feel like a woman!" Hannah sang in time with Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" song as she entered the shed that morning, feeling more cheerful than she had felt for a long time. Grabbing a hammer, she got to work on some other junk that needed fixing, mostly just hammering out some dents. Her ear buds were still in her ears and she took them out after a bit, setting her IPhone up to where all her favorite songs could play. "Life Is A Highway" by Rascal Flatts played next and she moved in time to the beat.

The more of her favorite songs that played, the happier she felt as she finally pounded out the last dent and fixed some other things her uncle had found. An old record player just needed a little work done and it was playing smoothly again. Hannah even added some extra speakers to give it a more defined look while still keeping it looking original.

Hannah had fixed pretty much everything on the work table and decided to fix the boom box she had found next. She first removed the five tapes, wondering how so many tapes could fit in a boom box as she did so.

She then used the special equipment and cleaned the inside of the boom box and cleaned the tapes off. It didn't take long as she then set each tape aside, noting how they were all different colors. "Hmm, color-coding tapes?" she asked herself and then shrugged. "Must be different kinds of music."

She then turned her attention to the blue car. "I'm not old enough to drive yet, but maybe if I can get this one fixed, I can keep it for when I get my license," she said and managed to open the hood, noticing the engine looked a bit worn, but not totally run down. "Hmm. Someone made sure you could still run," she said. "Well, guess I better check the engine."

Just as she picked up a work light to help her see better, she heard a rumble that sounded similar to an earthquake. She jumped up and it stopped. "That's weird," she said. "Uncle Jason said we don't get earthquakes out here."

She bent over the engine again and was shocked that it suddenly turned over on its own, as if someone had put in the key, but she didn't see anyone in the driver's seat. Now starting to get scared, she backed up to the work bench, her hand resting on the blue-colored tape, which suddenly shifted beneath her hand, but she didn't notice as she was staring at the blue car fearfully.

"Heeheeheeheehee! Hey, you're tickling me!"

The new voice made Hannah jump and look to see her hand was now resting on the stomach part of what looked to be a small blue robot, who was looking at her, eyes bright. Her own eyes widened as she saw the other tapes suddenly transform into a robot, a bird, a lion, and a rhino. She backed away just as the boom box began shaking and it transformed into a robot that towered a bit over her, about twice her height, she guessed.

"Hi there!" it said to her.

That he could talk was one shock to many. Hannah did the one thing she could do then in her frozen state.

She screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The robots moved towards her, but she backed up fast, running as they went after her. She quickly hid by her blue car and got another shock as it shook and transformed into a very tall robot that looked like a samurai with two swords drawn.

That was the final straw for Hannah and she jumped back, hitting her head on the work table and she saw stars as she wobbled a bit and then fell down as she lost conscious, her thoughts jumbling together before dispersing completely.

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**Uh-oh! Looks like Hannah's found out that that wasn't an ordinary car and boom box with tapes! What happens? Read on!**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	6. New Friends

**Chapter 6: New Friends**

"Hannah? Hannah? Are you alright?"

Hannah heard her uncle calling her and she stirred with a groan, keeping still a moment before her memory came back to her and she jolted upright. "Uncle Jason!" she cried out and saw he was beside her, trying to calm her down.

"Hannah, it's alright," he said gently, but she was shaking a bit.

"Huge robots," she said. "Surrounded me."

"They're gone, now," said Jason, trying to calm down his niece with no luck.

Hannah got up and stumbled outside with Jason following worriedly, but both stopped when they saw the robots, now joined by a green one that was the same height as the blue one all looking at them.

And Hannah nearly went berserk.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Her scream made them jump and move towards her, but she ran toward the larger part of the shed and ran inside, shutting the door behind her, breathing hard.

"I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming," she said to herself, but a knock on the door scared her so badly that her adrenaline kicked in and she ran towards a chain hanging from the ceiling and climbed up it, her mind in a panic as she climbed to the top and clung to the chain like a baby gorilla would cling to its mother's back. She closed her eyes as she heard the doors open.

"Where is she?" asked a voice she recognized to be from the small blue robot that had originally been a blue cassette tape.

"She's around somewhere," said a voice that sounded like a person talking into a microphone.

"It would seem that in her fear of us, she didn't think of her fear of heights," said a calm voice.

Hannah opened her eyes and saw the blue samurai and the green one were looking at her. She clung to the chain when she realized how high up she was. "Oh, man," she whimpered quietly. She didn't know how they knew she was scared of heights, but she was too busy clinging to the chain and shaking to think about it.

"Hey, Hannah," said a bit of a gruff voice, making her look at the green robot who grabbed the chain, being careful not to shake her off, and pulling it to the platform where her uncle was. "Just hang on a bit."

As she was near the high platform, her uncle reached out to her and Hannah let go of the chain as soon as she felt solid ground and fell into her uncle's arms, shaking and crying a bit from her predicament and her earlier scare.

"Shh, it's alright, Hannah. They're friends," said Jason. "You don't need to be afraid of them."

Hannah's shaking didn't stop and Jason took her inside the house with the Autobots watching. The blue cassette felt really bad. "I didn't mean to frighten her," he said, feeling it was his fault.

"It's not your fault, Eject," said the tall, blue samurai. "I had spooked her prior with trying to transform, so she was already afraid by the time I had finally transformed and she was running from you and your siblings."

"Well, we'll wait for Jason to calm her down and then we'll see if we can start the introductions over again," said the green robot.

Hannah had finally calmed down enough for her uncle to tell her about the Autobots and the battle against Cemetery Wind. She was startled that aliens were on Earth and had been fighting their enemies to keep the humans safe.

"It's now been a good ten years since that happened," said Jason. "Now, the Autobots and humans are at peace again and Crosshairs lives here with me."

"Crosshairs?" asked Hannah.

"Remember when you asked if I had named my car a masculine name?" he asked and she nodded. "Well, my car is an Autobot named Crosshairs. He's a little gruff, but he won't hurt you. The others are friends of his you found at the junkyard."

Hannah breathed deeply and realized she must have startled the Autobots when she had screamed at seeing them. "Are you sure they're harmless?" she asked him.

"They don't hurt humans who are innocent and in your defense, you hadn't seen anything like them before, so you had every right to be afraid when they showed you their true appearance."

Hannah thought about her uncle's words and a few hours later went out to see if she could perhaps see the Autobots again and maybe not run away this time. She spotted the samurai one performing what looked to be some sort of sword dance while the others were watching. She got closer and stood by the green one, who noticed her.

"Well, welcome back," he said gruffly, but she could pick up some teasing humor in his voice.

"Good to be back," she lightly retorted, looking at him in surprise when he chuckled aloud. The blue robot finished his sword dance and moved towards them.

"Hello, Hannah," he said pleasantly.

She smiled. Her uncle was right. They may have been giants, but they were certainly seemed very gentle. The small blue robot that she had first seen came over to her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he said, sounding a bit upset.

Hannah looked down at him and smiled gently, returning the hug. "I know it wasn't intentional," she said gently. "To be honest, I believe I overreacted a bit."

"A bit?" asked the green one with a cocked eyebrow.

"Hey, lay off now," said the red and gold robot. "We did unintentionally scare her, you know."

That made Hannah giggle a little. "What are your names?" she asked.

"Well, you already know I'm Crosshairs," said the green robot.

"Drift," said the samurai one.

"I'm Blaster," said the red and gold one. "And these are my cassettes Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Rewind, Eject, and Sunder."

Each cassette came closer after introductions and Hannah patted Steeljaw and Ramhorn, hugged Rewind and Eject, and then patted Sunder. Each cassette enjoyed the attention and soaked it up.

"My uncle's right. You guys really are gentle," she said to them.

"Only to you and your uncle," said Crosshairs. "But to any enemy, watch out. You'll see just how protective and scary we can be."

Hannah gave it some thought and then smirked. "Can't be any worse than when I first caught sight of your mug, Crosshairs," she said smugly.

Blaster broke out laughing as did the cassettes. Even Drift smiled at Hannah's joke. Crosshairs gave her a raised eyebrow before he chuckled. "At least you didn't say 'ugly'," he pointed out.

"That was on my mind."

Now, Crosshairs would usually take out anyone who sassed him, but he knew Hannah was only teasing and he caught her in his hand, poking her stomach and sides with his finger, making her squeal with laughter as she tried to escape.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! CROSSHAIRS, THAT TICKLES!" Hannah cried out, still laughing as she tried to squirm away.

"Good," he said. "The perfect punishment for your little remark."

Hannah kept laughing for a long while, too weak to try and get free. But finally, Crosshairs decided she had learned her lesson and let her rest. He normally didn't show a soft side to himself, but the ten peaceful years following the end of Cemetery Wind had helped him to relax a bit and not be so uptight.

Hannah now sat up in his hand and looked up at him. "Sorry," she said. "I couldn't resist."

Blaster gave another laugh. "I like her already," he said.

"As do I," said Drift. "It's not often someone can say something like that to Crosshairs and get away with it."

"Eh, she's a good kid, from what Jason's told me," said Crosshairs. "She's definitely not some spoiled rich brat other kids like her are."

"No way," said Hannah. "Being rich with money is boring. I like adventure and the open country better."

Crosshairs now smiled. "Good answer," he said as he gently set his hand down near the ground so that Hannah could jump out of his hand and stand up.

Jason came out. "Well, I was wondering, who's up for a cookout?" he asked.

Hannah's eyes brightened. "I'm in," she said and turned to the Autobots. "Will you join us?" she asked them.

All of them nodded and as everything was getting ready, Hannah gazed at her new friends, happy that she had friends who liked her for who she was instead of the rich friends who didn't really like her for her, but only because her father was rich.

She then frowned, thinking about her father and then shook her head to rid herself of that thought. She made her choice to run away. She wasn't looking back.

But if only she'd known the trouble that was coming to her family and would soon come to her.

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**Well, Hannah has some new friends, but what trouble is coming? Part of it will be revealed in the next chapter.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	7. Trouble, Crusing, Country In Her Blood

**Oh, man! I haven't updated for almost a month? Ay-yi, that's not good. But anyway, here is the next chapter!**

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**Chapter 7: Trouble Comes Knocking, Cruising, and Country In Her Blood**

Meanwhile, back in Ohio, Hannah's parents were thinking about their troubles. Quite recently, they had been getting letters from auditors about discrepancies in taxes and such. Even the firm where her father worked was starting to smell something burning.

And it wasn't fire.

No one knew that Hannah's father was actually 'cooking the books' as the term went, meaning he was embezzling money from his company and stealing other money from his bosses. Why?

Because he and Hannah's mother were very badly in debt.

They were so far in debt it would take quite a few years to pay it off and the creditors were wanting their money, naturally. But the books could only be altered so much before someone takes a close look at them and sees what's really going on.

Hannah's father was in his office, looking over another letter from a person he owed money for his very expensive cars he had. He must have had about ten of them and they were hardly driven at all. He just liked to show off.

"Sweetheart, it's the credit company on the phone," said his wife, who had checked the caller I.D. on the phone.

"Don't answer," he said to her.

Both knew exactly why the credit company was calling and didn't want to answer, but the company left a message all the same. Then a knock sounded and it was the other people that were owed money. Several of them.

Both husband and wife quickly hid behind a large chair that had a huge blanket draped over it. It just covered them both to keep prying eyes from seeing they were actually home.

They didn't move for the longest time as they held on to each other, not thinking about anyone but themselves.

How were they going to get out of debt?

"Dear, what are we going to do?" asked his wife.

The father had an idea. "If we can frame someone for stealing our cars and do it enough times carefully, that should help," he said.

Both smiled evilly. Yes, they would get out by making others pay.

But how long would that last? They didn't care at the moment.

* * *

The next day was pleasantly warm with a nice breeze as Hannah headed out with Drift, who had promised he'd take her on a drive. Getting into his vehicle mode, commenting on how she liked how roomy it was, she buckled up while sitting in the passenger seat and saw the steering wheel turn as Drift drove down the dirt roads. Hannah then looked worried.

"Won't your exterior get filthy driving down the dirt roads?" she asked.

She heard him chuckle. "A little dirt doesn't hurt," he said. "I'll just wash off when we get back."

As Drift cruised down the roads and even drifted a few times, Hannah was enjoying the ride, laughing every time Drift decided to drift and even whooping when he pulled a trick in car form. They soon arrived at what looked to be a racetrack in the dirt.

"Drift, can we race? Please?" she asked him.

"Well, we'd need another racer," he said.

"Do I count?" asked Crosshairs, who had been following them, Jason behind the wheel. "Let's see who's faster!" he said.

"Drift can beat Crosshairs!" said Hannah playfully. "Crosshairs doesn't have the full tank of gas!"

Knowing Hannah was only being playful to egg on the Autobot paratrooper, both bots revved their engines and raced together, cruising by the rocks. Hannah was having a blast, which Jason noticed and smiled.

"She's much happier now," he said to Crosshairs. "I haven't seen her this happy since my last visit to her home."

"She's a good kid," said Crosshairs. "Hang on."

The race kept going for a long time and both bots and Jason heard Hannah's laughter and giggles fly with the wind as her worries disappeared into the settling dust behind the two cars.

* * *

"Yes! This song rocks!" said Hannah as she moved around her room, dancing to another Rascal Flatts song that Blaster was currently playing for her. The boom box Autobot smiled as he watched Hannah dance around, even dancing a bit with Rewind and Eject with Steeljaw, Ramhorn, and Sunder joining in the dance in their own way.

After a bit, they all settled down. "Man, Country songs totally are the best," said Hannah. "Especially the songs I can relate to and really enjoy the most."

"I agree," said Blaster as he noticed how tired they all were and he grabbed a blanket at the end of Hannah's huge bed and they all settled down on it, having enough room to move.

Hannah cuddled up to Blaster, who wrapped his arms around her in a hug and felt the cassettes all settle down around them happily, each one falling asleep as then Hannah and Blaster did the same, wondering what the next day would bring.

If only they knew the trouble that was brewing.

* * *

**Sounds like big trouble coming again. What is it, besides Hannah's father stealing money? That will be revealed in the next couple of chapters.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	8. Meddling Parents

**Thank you all for being patient with me. Here is the next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Meddling Parents**

Hannah had just woken up and gotten dressed to go spend the day with Drift when her phone rang.

It was her parents.

Sighing, she answered the phone. "Hello?" she said.

"Hannah, darling!" said her mother in a sweet way that made the teen roll her eyes. "We have good news! We found you a man to marry!"

Hannah's eyes went wide and she fell down on her bed. "What?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, dear. He'll be there to pick you up shortly."

That was when the teen snapped out of her shock. "No!" she said sharply. "I'm not marrying anyone! I'm only fifteen!"

"That's no problem, dear. We can have a judge overlook it," said her mother.

"No! Absolutely not! I'm not doing it!" Hannah said, raising her voice. She knew she shouldn't scream at her mother, but this was really taking the cake.

"Yes, you are!" Now her mother was shouting.

The teen hung up and raced downstairs to see her uncle, who had been about to come up when he heard the commotion. Seeing his niece's angry face and tear-filled eyes, he stood up and held his arms out to her to comfort her. Hannah immediately fell into her uncle's embrace and cried as he rocked her, shushing her in a father-like way.

"What's going on, Hannah?" he asked her.

She sniffled. "Mom and Dad have decided I'm going to marry someone and I don't want to, but they say they can do it before a judge," she said.

"What are they thinking? You're only fifteen! Marriage of a minor to an adult is illegal," said Jason.

"I don't know, but I'm worried."

Drift and Crosshairs had overheard the news and told Blaster and the cassettes, who got angry at the idea of Hannah being forced to marry at a young age. They all decided to transform down and use their holoforms to help Hannah and Jason.

It wasn't long before two expensive cars pulled up and Hannah's parents stepped out of one car and a tall man stepped out of the other one, looking straight at Hannah who immediately disliked him. There was something about him that she didn't like.

"Hannah, come home, darling," said her mother with a fake smile.

"You'll be happy with this man, Scott Reamerton," said her father and the mystery man smiled, but Hannah didn't like it at all and shook her head.

"I'm happy here," she said firmly. "I'm not going with you and I'm not marrying a stranger!"

"You have no choice, Hannah. The decision has been made," said her mother and suddenly, Scott Reamerton grabbed Hannah and started dragging her to the car.

Hannah screamed loudly. "Let me go! Uncle Jason! Guys! Help!"

Drift and Blaster were right there in a moment in holoform and Blaster tackled the tall man that held Hannah and made him let her go. When Scott let her go, she turned and kicked him where it would hurt the most and then ran to Drift's holoform and the samurai caught her and held her as she held onto him. Jason came out looking ready for war.

"You aren't welcome here," he said icily to his brother and sister-in-law. "Get out and leave Hannah here."

Hannah's father looked at his younger brother. "You have no say in this. We brought our lawyer and we have the official paperwork that Hannah comes back home with us," he said as a lawyer did come out and present the papers to Jason. Hannah watched her uncle as his face went grim and he handed the papers back before turning to her.

"Hannah, I'm afraid those papers are official," he said. "You have to go back with them."

The girl's eyes filled with tears and Drift rubbed her back, knowing there was no way out of this one. "Go back with them," he whispered to her. "We'll come for you when we can."

She looked up at him. "You promise?" she asked him.

"I promise, Hannah."

With that, Hannah went upstairs to grab her stuff and head back with her parents and she watched Scott Reamerton get into his car and drive off.

_I'll never marry that man,_ she thought to herself. _I'll run away if it comes down to it. I just can't figure out why my parents are suddenly interested that I marry that creep. Guess I'll find out sooner or later. _With that, Hannah grabbed her backpack and headed out the door to begin the journey back to the mansion, unaware that there was something else in her backpack that was waiting patiently too for the right time.

* * *

**Who followed Hannah home? Also anyone want to guess who Scott Reamerton is? He isn't my OC, just to let you know. Happy guessing and even if you don't know, that's okay too.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	9. Finding Out The Truth

**Chapter 9: Finding Out The Truth**

After a long journey back to Ohio, Hannah locked herself in her room, sending a clear message that she was angry at her parents and wanted nothing to do with them. Scott Reamerton had gone back to his home with actually made the teen happy that she wouldn't have to deal with him for a bit.

She set her bag down hard and landed on the small bed, tears again pouring out of her eyes as she cried. She was crying so hard she didn't heard Charlotte knocking on the door for a few minutes until she heard her call to her.

"Honey girl, it's me," Charlotte called to her.

Hannah got up and opened the door for Charlotte and let the kind, black lady in and locked the door behind her before she fell into Charlotte's arms, tears coming again as the nurse who had pretty much raised her for her entire life held her and rocked her, trying to calm her down.

Finally, Hannah stopped crying, feeling worn out as she felt Charlotte stroke her head. "Mama Charlotte, what am I going to do to get out of here?" she asked her.

The black lady looked at the teen seriously. "Honey girl, it's time you knew the truth," she said and guided Hannah to sit on the bed as she sat down with her.

Charlotte took a deep breath. "What I'm about to tell you is no doubt going to change your perspective on everything," she said. "But, I've been working with the police for almost as long as you've been born, posing as a nanny or housekeeper to find evidence against people who steal from their companies. We've known for some time that your father has been 'cooking the books', but he's always kept his trail clean, so the police had nothing to catch him. I stepped in as a nanny for you when you had just been born and your parents hired me to raise you and do house cleaning and other various things. And all this time, I've been giving my superiors evidence of what your father is doing and they're building up a case to take both him and your mother to court."

Hannah was stunned. Her nanny was an official spy? "So, you're really a spy that tracks down criminals?" she asked.

"That's the gist of it, honey girl. But now, your parents can't hide their trail anymore and they're getting desperate, which is why they came to say you were going to marry that man, but they're going to frame your uncle for grand theft auto."

The teen was stunned and her hand landed on her backpack beside her and it vibrated, making her jump as she and Charlotte both looked at it and something blue jumped out and transformed. Hannah recognized him immediately.

"Eject?" she asked in shock. "How?"

"I jumped into your backpack before you left. Something just didn't sound right to me about your parents and I've been transmitting everything to Blaster," said the blue robot.

The girl then looked at Charlotte, who didn't look very surprised. "So, you're Eject," she said with a smile. "My partner told me that Hannah was safe with you, your siblings, and your guardian. He also mentioned two others too, Drift and Crosshairs."

Hannah looked at Charlotte. "You know about the Autobots?" she asked, stunned. "How?"

Charlotte stood up. "Grab your backpack and have Eject get back inside it," she said. "We need to move out now before your parents realize we're gone. I'll explain everything on the way. You have to trust me, honey girl."

The teen nodded. "You've never lied to me before," she said. "I understand why you couldn't say anything before now."

With that, both of them headed for the cars and Charlotte got in the driver's seat of a red Ferrari. Hannah quickly got in the passenger's seat and put her backpack by her feet. Eject was quick to jump out and into the girl's lap.

"Hello, Charlotte," said an Italian-accented voice. "Hello, Hannah and Eject."

The blue cassette's head snapped up. "Mirage?" he asked. "We thought we lost you in Chicago."

"Nope, I'm still alive," said Mirage.

"Mirage, we need to get back to Oklahoma, fast," said Charlotte.

The car shook. "Then buckle up and brace yourselves," said the Autobot. "As the saying goes, it's all or nothing."

Hannah buckled herself and Eject with her seatbelt, holding the blue cassette robot close to her in worry. "Don't worry, Hannah," said Eject confidently. "Mirage is an expert spy. No one will catch us."

"I hope you're right," she said worriedly.

Mirage put the pedal to the metal and the force of the speed he used made it impossible for Hannah to even think straight, so she just closed her eyes and prayed they'd make it to her uncle's ranch safely.

She hadn't been sure what speed Mirage had been using, but in literally half-an-hour, Mirage came to a squealing stop outside Flower High Ranch and turned into the driveway where Jason and the other Autobots were waiting for them. Charlotte and Eject hopped out, but Hannah was a bit slower in climbing out of Mirage, falling down into Drift's open palm as he caught her and cradled her to his chest to soothe her.

Mirage then transformed. "Is little _bella_ okay?" he asked, falling out of character for a moment as he was worried about the young teen, who now sat up in Drift's hand.

"I'm okay," she said. "But I don't think I'll ever go on a roller coaster ride again. That trip alone just did me for one-thousand roller coaster rides."

"Sorry, little _bella_," said the red spy truthfully. "Hopefully, we won't have to do that again."

"We may have to if Hannah's parents come back with Scott Reamerton," said Charlotte. "We need to form a plan because they will come when they realize they've been tricked."

Everyone else agreed to that.

* * *

**So it was Eject that followed Hannah. Also, yes! Mirage is alive in this story! Next up will be a chapter focused on Hannah and Drift's guardian/charge relationship. Stay tuned!**

**Also "bella" is Italian for "beautiful". Mirage will call Hannah this as a term of endearment.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	10. Sensei and Student

**In this chapter, we get a bit of a closer look at Hannah and Drift's guardian/charge relationship.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Sensei and Student**

Hannah had just finished doing the dishes when she looked up and saw Drift by the window in car form. "Hey, Drift," she said. "Everything okay?"

The blue samurai Autobot transformed and kneeled down. "Hannah, can you come outside when you're finished with the dishes? I have something I need to discuss with you," he said.

Worry instantly filled Hannah, but she nodded. "I'll be right out," she promised as she quickly finished wiping the counters and took off her apron, heading outside to where Drift was sitting. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Drift heard the worry in his charge's voice and he smiled. "You don't have to worry, young one, I simply wanted to ask you how you'd feel if I started training you," he said.

"Training?" asked Hannah. "What kind of training?"

"Samurai training," he answered. "We don't have much time and becoming a true samurai takes many years, but I believe we can get you trained in basic self-defense. I noticed you didn't know how to defend yourself when those people came the other day."

She nodded. "Yes," she said. "So, you'll train me to be a samurai like you?"

She sounded eager and he chuckled. "It's going to take a lot of hard work," he said gently. "But I've got a feeling that it may come in handy should a battle come our way, and I have a feeling it might."

Hannah looked afraid right then. "I think you're right, Drift," she said. "My…parents aren't ones to give up that easily. They'll be back with whatever they can get for help. I'm worried they just might come back with warrants for Uncle Jason's arrest on whatever charges they decide on."

The blue Autobot nodded. "What do you think?" he asked her. "If you want me to train you, then I will."

The young teen looked up at her guardian. "Please?" she asked.

He nodded. "Very well. We'll start now with a few moves."

Hannah listened to what he told her and mimicked the moves he demonstrated. Surprisingly, she was quick to catch on and very graceful, which made Drift pleased.

* * *

It was about an hour after they had started that the teen got a mischievous idea and latched on to Drift's leg, holding on as he moved in another fighting stance and looked to see if she was following, but he didn't see her. "Hannah?" he called out to her, scanning for her heat signature, but she wasn't there.

He was so intent on searching that he didn't feel his charge climb up his side using his armor like she was on a jungle gym, climbing steadily as Drift continued searching for her.

When she made it up to just behind his left shoulder, she couldn't help herself and giggled, startling the blue Autobot as he snapped his head to the left so fast Hannah felt the gust of wind blow against her from the action, which only made her giggle more.

"You should have looked down on your leg," she said. "I'm surprised you didn't detect me there."

Drift was about to scold the teenager when he realized she was right. He hadn't detected her on him. "How did you get up to my shoulder then?" he asked, reaching for her, chuckling a little as she ducked down a bit, but he got her all the same, wrapping his hand around her gently and pulling her off so that she wouldn't fall.

"I climbed up using your armor to do so," she admitted. "It was like being on a jungle gym in a way."

She smiled but then saw Drift give her a rather stern look and she immediately looked contrite, looking down in shame. "I'm sorry, Drift," she said softly. "I should have been paying attention."

The sternness left the Autobot Samurai's faceplates as he lifted Hannah's chin gently with one finger. "You should have," he said a little stern before his voice softened. "But that was a very skillful use of stealth that will come in handy in battle."

Relieved that he wasn't angry at her, she looked up at him. "Can we do some more?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Alright, but only for a little bit longer and this time, let's see if you can do the moves smoothly, like music," he said as Blaster came up and began playing Japanese music that had a beat Hannah could follow. She got into position and began, following Drift's movements with grace and precision, letting the music guide her.

When the song finished, Hannah faced Drift and bowed the way he taught her and he bowed back. "Well done, _Hana_," he said proudly.

She looked up at him curiously. "Is that Japanese for student?" she asked, making him chuckle.

"It's Japanese for 'flower', Hannah," he said to her.

"So it's a term of endearment, like how Mirage calls me little _bella?_" she asked.

"That's right, _Hana_," said Drift.

Hannah, liking the new nickname, promised to train hard and learn as well in time for the battle.

What she and her guardians didn't know what that the battle was coming much sooner than they feared.

* * *

**It's true. "Hana" is "Flower" in Japanese.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames. Also, don't forget to guess who Scott Reamerton is from the previous chapter. I will reveal who he is in the next chapter.**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	11. Trouble Comes

**Chapter 11: Trouble Comes**

A few days later, Hannah woke up in the morning and sensed something was wrong. She didn't hear Blaster and the cassettes playing their music, which they always used to wake her up in the mornings.

Quickly getting dressed, she went downstairs and saw Charlotte and Jason looking like they had been through a rough morning so far. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked them.

Charlotte looked up at her. "Mirage told us that your parents are coming again and they have Scott Reamerton with them," she said. "They also now have fabricated proof of your uncle committing grand theft auto."

Hannah felt fear fill her. "What do we do?" she asked.

Suddenly, Rewind came running in. "I've got more bad news," he said. "Scott Reamerton is only a holoform."

"A holoform?" Jason asked. "Then who is he really?"

Rewind looked very grave. "A Decepticon named Starscream," he said.

Hannah was first to say something, or rather, react like an active volcano. "My parents were trying to marry me off to a Decepticon?!" she said in disbelief and in horror. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, and ew! That is so one hundred ways to Sunday wrong!"

"I agree," said Jason grimly. "What can we do?"

"Come outside," said Rewind and they did, seeing Crosshairs, Drift, Mirage, and Blaster standing outside, the other four cassettes were sitting by Blaster's feet. Eject ran up to Hannah, who picked him up and held him.

"What should we do?" asked Mirage. "If Hannah's parents bring the police, we can't expose ourselves to Starscream. That would blow our cover."

"If he doesn't already know we're here," said Crosshairs. "That Decepticreep's a sneaky one to destroy."

"I agree," said Drift. "Perhaps it would be best to find the others. Starscream doesn't like to fight alone and chances are he'll have backup."

Hannah gave it some thought. "And so will we," she said, telling them her plan.

* * *

Her parents arrived with Scott Reamerton and saw their daughter, Jason, and eight Autobots there, looking like they had been caught off guard.

"Autobots!" came a screech and Scott Reamerton disappeared and was replaced by Starscream, who blasted at the Autobots, who fizzled out.

As did Jason and Hannah.

"What? What was that?" asked Hannah's father.

"Holograms!" said Starscream. "They're not here!"

Hannah's mother grew angry. "Find them!" she said and they got in to their car and Starscream flew ahead. Barricade followed Hannah's parents out.

* * *

Meantime, Hannah was riding in Drift's alternate mode and holding Eject in her arms. The small cassette had taken to her as if she was his older sister and she saw him as a little brother. Mirage pulled up alongside them with Charlotte in the driver's seat and Crosshairs brought up the rear with Jason in the driver's seat.

"Good news," said Mirage. "Little _bella's_ parents got a surprise."

"That's good," said Drift. "And we're a good day's journey ahead."

Hannah gazed at Drift's dashboard. "So, where are we going?" she asked.

"We're going to rendezvous with some friends," said Crosshairs. "We're coming up on the base."

Hannah gazed out the window and saw the old abandoned aircraft hanger on their right. "Is that it?" she asked.

"Sure is, little _bella,"_ said Mirage.

They got closer and went through the open doors, which closed when they got in. Three giants came up to the other three. "Whoa," said Hannah. "Is that red and blue guy your boss?"

Chuckles sounded from the others, giving the teen the impression she was right and she stepped out of Drift's alt-mode with Eject in her arms and looked up at the new Autobots.

"So, this is the girl that Crosshairs has a soft spot for," said the big, green Autobot who looked like he was smoking a cigar.

"Hey, lay off, man," said the yellow Autobot. "This lady's one cool cat."

Hannah giggled at that, instantly liking him. "You guys are cool cats too," she said honestly.

The yellow Autobot kneeled down and held out his hand in a gesture of wanting a high-five. "Put it there, girl," he said with a smile and she did so, grinning.

The red and blue Autobot kneeled down. "It's good to finally meet you and your uncle, Hannah," he said. "Drift and Crosshairs have told us much about you."

"Really?" she asked, doing her best to not look a bit startled by his presence. She did feel a little intimidated, despite the fact she had been around Drift, Blaster, and Crosshairs for a while.

"Prime, Hound, Bumblebee, good to see you again, mates," said Crosshairs in greeting.

"Same to you, Crosshairs," said the yellow Autobot. Hannah looked at their colors and took a guess as to their names.

"Bumblebee, right?" she asked the one that had answered Crosshairs.

"Awesome guess," said Bumblebee.

She giggled. "Well, you have the colors," she said matter-of-factly before looking at the big, green Autobot. "I'm guessing you're Hound and that leaves the blue and red guy as Prime."

"You are correct," said Prime.

"Optimus Prime," said Drift with a respectful bow. "I'm glad you received our message."

"As am I," said the leader with a nod. "We have been going over battle plans, but we need some more insight."

Another Autobot walked in, a tall, green-colored one. "Prime," he said. "While you and the others go over the plans, I need to see the humans in the med bay."

Optimus nodded. "Of course, old friend," he said and motioned the other Autobots to follow him. Drift held back a moment to reassure Hannah.

"Ratchet only wants to make sure you're in good health," he said. "With all the stress you've been through lately."

"Don't worry," said Blaster. "Doc's one of the best."

Taking a deep breath, Hannah nodded to them and followed Charlotte and Jason to Ratchet's medbay, where he examined them all.

"Charlotte, it's good to see you again," he said.

"Same here, Ratchet," she said with a smile. "I also got that information you wanted."

He accepted the flash drive from her. "Thank you," he said and then examined Jason, recommending some rest, to which Jason agreed with him and headed out with Charlotte.

Hannah felt a little nervous being alone with Ratchet, mostly because she didn't know him and because she didn't like doctors. He sensed this.

"Hannah, you needn't be afraid," he said in a calm voice.

"I'm not afraid," she said. "I just…,"

She stopped and sighed. "The doctors I've all met have been really creepy," she admitted. "Like Dr. Frankenstein-creepy."

She looked up at him, hoping he wasn't upset, but he only nodded in understanding, seeing she was telling the truth. "I won't harm you, Hannah," he said.

She took a deep breath. "Okay," she said, nodding and letting Ratchet scan her.

"You've been under a lot of stress from your parents too," he said after a moment.

"Yeah. I just found out they wanted me to marry Starscream."

The thundering clang that ran through the medbay made Hannah yelp and jump in alarm as she wondered what had fallen. She then saw Ratchet on the floor, looking like he had been knocked off his block entirely. "Ratchet?" she called to him, wondering what happened.

He sat up and shook his head. "Oh, what a processor ache," he grumbled. "Did I hear you right about your parents wanting you to marry…Starscream?"

She nodded. "Yup, you did," she said and watched him fall backwards again and hit the floor with another thundering clang that brought Blaster and Optimus running.

"What happened?" asked Optimus.

"I told him about my parents wanting me to marry that Decepticon creep Starscream," said Hannah. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, besides having a logic crash," said Blaster, chuckling. "Prowl always has the same problems."

Ratchet woke up and stood with Optimus' help and Hannah stood up. "Maybe it's best I go find my uncle," she said. "I think I've made Ratchet crash one to many times already."

That brought laughter from Blaster, who almost got cuffed by Ratchet and Steeljaw jumped up to where Hannah was and she got on his back and held on as he jumped down to the floor and began running. Hannah laughed a bit as Steeljaw was going faster than any ride the teen had ever been on. They made it to where the others were.

"So, you made the Doc crash, eh?" asked Crosshairs with a chuckle. "He'll never live that down."

"I didn't do it on purpose," she said. "I just told him why I was stressed out."

Drift chuckled. "Honesty is a good thing, but a shock like that never is," he said.

"Hey! I like being honest, so sue me."

That drew more chuckles from the others as then Optimus cleared his throat. "Alright," he said. "From what Charlotte has told us, Hannah's parents are in debt and looking to pin grand theft auto on Jason. I believe Starscream is involved because they made a deal with him."

"Not a good one either, I'll bet," said Crosshairs. "They want Hannah, they have to go through me first."

"Same here," said Drift.

The others nodded their agreement and Optimus nodded as well. "We'll wait for them to come," he said. "If they get close enough, then we'll defend our home and our friends."

The agreeing shouts echoed through the base.

* * *

**Those who guessed Scott Reamerton was Starscream: Big hugs and cyber cookies to you!**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	12. Peace In The Calm

**It's been _how _long since I updated?! Good grief! Sorry to keep you all waiting on this one. Good thing I still have my notes for this one. Anyway, I figured since the last few chapters have been really serious, a lighthearted chapter was needed. So here you all go! :) Disclaimers in the first chapter.**

**"Bella"-Italian for "beautiful"**

**"Hana"-Japanese for "flower"**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Peace In The Calm**

Hannah was rollerblading through the base, keeping an eye out to make sure she didn't get in anyone's way as she rolled in time with the Disney music playing from her IPod through her ear buds and her head bobbed in time as well, a smile on her face.

She then spotted Ramhorn up ahead and smiled. "Hey, Ramhorn!" she called out. "Here I come!"

The rhino cassette gave a grunt of acknowledgement but then folded his legs in so that he was laying mostly flat so that Hannah could safely jump over him. This had actually been going on for a while now, when Hannah had one day skated up to the cassette and asked if he'd help her practice some tricks. He had agreed, to her surprise, and in return, she would help him by oiling his leg joints because when he went out for his morning run, the dirt would gather in his joints and sometimes make them lock up.

Now, Hannah gathered speed and crouched for a moment before springing up, gracefully executing a back flip over Ramhorn and landing perfectly on her skates before she swiftly spun around and came to a stop, laughing.

"Ya-hoo! That was fun!" she said. "Thanks, Ramhorn. Got the oil can?"

A side compartment opened up on Ramhorn's back and Hannah pulled out the oil can as she pulled out a squirt bottle from her backpack she had on her shoulders and filled it with water before they headed outside to a fenced area where they had privacy and sat down.

As the rhino cassette enjoyed laying down in the warm sun, Hannah carefully tended to his leg joints, making sure they were working well and could move freely. "I wonder if Ratchet could come up with something like a special coating for your joints so that you don't have to get them oiled all the time," she said as she gave him a pat on the side. "I'm not complaining, but I'm sure you get pretty annoyed when you go to enjoy a run and feel like sandbags are weighing you down when you come back."

Ramhorn gave a grunt of agreement as he gently turned his head to the teenage girl, gently rubbing his head against her leg, being mindful of his horn. She patted him again before seeing the water hose nearby. "How about a cool down?" she asked, to which he got up and nodded.

Hannah would have never guessed that she'd be washing down a rhinoceros when she came to visit her uncle, especially a robotic one. She now laughed as she washed him down and got out of the way when he shook the water off himself and again rubbing his head against her leg in thanks, he lumbered off to inside the base. Hannah washed down the area and then skated around, breathing in the fresh air and smiling before she came to a stop and headed back inside, trading her rollerblades for her shoes and looking around the base to find Drift.

"Hannah looked happy outside with Ramhorn," she heard Crosshairs say a little ways down the hall. "He lets her jump over him when she's skating and she oils his leg joints to get the sand out of them from his morning run."

"Yeah," said Blaster. "I'm a bit surprised Ramhorn lets her. Usually he only lets me, but I think he's got a soft spot for Hannah like we do."

"_Hana_ is a good kid," said Drift proudly.

"I have to agree," said Mirage.

Hannah now walked in. "Hi, guys!" she said brightly.

Four heads turned to her. "Well, there's little _bella _now," said Mirage with a chuckle. "Hello, Hannah."

"Ramhorn give you any trouble today?" asked Blaster.

She laughed. "Ramhorn never gives me trouble, unlike a certain radio player I know," she said teasingly.

That made all four chuckle until Blaster caught the end of what she had said. "Hey!" he said.

"What?" she asked, a smile on her face as she shrugged her shoulders. "I have to tie you down just to polish your armor because you can't stay still."

That brought more laughter from the other three mechs and Blaster smirked.

"You're in for it now," he said as he dove to catch her. Hannah let out a mock shriek before running off, her laughter ringing off the walls.

Drift stood up. "I'll go help Blaster," he said with a chuckle. "Hannah's been training with me more and she's getting good to the point where I can't find her sometimes."

"Then she'll give Blaster a run for his money, as the human term goes," said Crosshairs, a smirk on his face.

Mirage only laughed. "Good luck," he said. "Little _bella's_ fast, for a human."

* * *

Hannah was currently running through the halls, laughing as she passed by her uncle and Charlotte, who were curious but then smiled when they saw Blaster playfully chasing her. Chuckling, they simply smiled at each other and continued to eat the lunch Charlotte had prepared for her and him, chuckling again as they heard Hannah's bright laughter.

Drift circled to the other side of the base, waiting to catch Hannah when she didn't expect it. He then heard her stop to catch her breath as she giggled some more before becoming somber. "I wish I had known about the Autobots before I came to Uncle Jason's ranch. It would have made life a little more bearable to have had some friends to talk to then," she said aloud.

"There's a rule here," said Drift, startling Hannah.

"AAAHHHH!" she cried out in surprise as the samurai Autobot pounced and caught her in his hands, lifting her up to his face as she giggled a little at the fact that her guardian had surprised her before she sat up.

"What rule is that?" she asked.

"To not be sad around your guardians," said the blue Autobot in a half-teasing, half-serious voice that made his charge giggle, but she nodded all the same.

Blaster came around the corner. "What do you say we cheer her up, Drift?" he said.

"_Hai," _said Drift in agreement as he and the red and gold Autobot headed to the rec room, going over to the couch and kneeling beside it, placing Hannah down gently on the cushions. She sat down, wondering what they were going to do to cheer her up.

She found out as Blaster gently poked her stomach with one finger, making her burst into a laughing fit before she felt his finger again poke her stomach gently before wiggling into it, making her laugh as she squirmed to get away.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT TICKLES!"

"So it seems," said Drift teasingly as he gently tickled her neck, making her squeal.

After a bit, they let her up for a breather before they'd tickle her again, but Hannah jumped to Blaster, landing on his arm and quickly scurrying down to his side, making him laugh as he fell back as she climbed up to his stomach, her fingers running over some wires lightly, making Blaster howl with laughter.

"DRIFT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HELP! STO-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP HER!" he pleaded.

"Hmm, seems _Hana _may need some help," said the samurai thoughtfully as he then began tickling Blaster, getting his sides and underarms while Hannah worked on the red stomach, making Blaster howl again with laughter before he suddenly reached up and tickled Drift's underarms. To both his and Hannah's shock, Drift actually let out a huge laugh.

"Yah! Tickle the Samurai!" The teenage girl whooped as Blaster scooped her up and placed her by Drift's neck and she started tickling him there.

Drift was a bit humiliated but when she saw the huge smile on his charge's face, he decided to let his pride go for a bit, because he could see that Hannah was happy and in his opinion she needed to be.

After about an hour, all three were sitting on the couch, resting a bit. "That was fun," said Hannah. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

"Well, you need to, kiddo," said Blaster, gently brushing back some of her hair with a finger and she hugged his hand as he lifted her up to his chest, gently returning her hug.

"Moments like this can give us hope to win the upcoming battle," said Drift wisely.

"Don't worry, Drift," said Hannah. "With you kicking Starscream with your samurai mojo, the others all pitching in, and me giving those creeps a much needed butt-kicking, we'll be waving the flag of victory by the end of the day of the battle."

Both Autobots chuckled. "You've got spunk, kid," said Blaster approvingly as she gave him a high five.

Drift smiled. "She does have a strong spirit," he said as he accepted a hug from Hannah and they settled down, just enjoying each other's company and the quiet before the storm.

* * *

**Next chapter: the storm comes!**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	13. Challenge, Battle, Victory

**The storm had now come! Read on!**

**Disclaimers are in first chapter, and I also only own Shiftquick. Also, some spoilers for "Transformers: Age Of Extinction".**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Challenge, Battle, Victory**

Hannah was dancing around to the song "Glad You Came" by The Wanted as she was walking down the hall to find her uncle. He had been very mysterious lately and she was curious as to why. She had just come to the door to his quarters and taken out her ear buds when the intercom came on, requesting everyone to the conference room. Quickly, she took off, meeting up with Crosshairs on the way.

"Crosshairs, what going on?" she asked him.

"Not sure, kid," he said as he quickly, yet gently, scooped her up in his hand. She held on as he kept moving quickly. "But I'm willing to be my guns it's something about Starscream and possibly your folks."

She got a bad feeling in her gut when he said that, but realized it had been only a matter of time before they would have heard from the Decepticon. Making to the conference room, they saw Drift and Blaster had arrived already and then Mirage came in with Jason and Charlotte, placing them by Hannah, who immediately hugged them. They returned the hugs, knowing that the teenager was a little bit afraid of what was going to happen.

Optimus came in. "Autobots, I received a transmission from Starscream. He has issued a challenge that we face him in the desert, but if we do not, he will have his clones and Barricade level the nearest town to the battleground location," he said grimly.

"That sneaky, no good, creep!" said Crosshairs, making the humans jump in surprise to his sudden outburst. "What about Hannah's…er, so-called parents?"

Hound now stepped forward. "They have demanded Hannah be returned to them and they'll tell Starscream to not attack the town," he said.

Bumblebee shook his head. "Are they insane? Starscream never keeps his word," he said.

"Bumblebee is right," said Drift. "Only a fool will agree to a manipulative enemy's terms."

"So what do we do?" asked Blaster as Sunder flew off of his shoulder and landed beside Hannah, cooing in worry and the girl gently petted his head to help the phoenix calm down. They even heard the other cassettes express their worry from within Blaster's chest.

Prime stood up. "Our best option is to face Starscream and have Hannah remain here for her safety," he said.

Hannah looked up at him. "I mean no disrespect, Optimus, but those creeps have gone too far, especially with trying to pin grand theft auto on my uncle," she said. "I don't take kindly to threats, especially those directed at my true family members from the manipulators that I regretfully call my parents."

She paused and took a deep breath. "When you and the Bots face Starscream and Barricade, I'll face my parents," she said.

Optimus nodded to let her know that he didn't take offense that she was against staying behind. Jason then stood up. "Hannah won't be alone, Prime. I will also help her face my brother and his wife," he said.

"As will I," said Charlotte.

Seeing that the three humans had their minds made up, Prime nodded. "Very well," he said. "But should you suddenly find yourselves in the crossfire between us and the Decepticons, I won't hesitate to ask your guardians to get you out of there."

Hannah nodded. "That's reasonable," she said seriously. "So, what's the plan?"

While the others were discussing the plan, the teenager noticed Drift was very quiet and his eyes were closed like he was in deep thought. "Drift?" she asked softly so that she wouldn't startle him. "Are you alright?"

It was a moment before he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I am fine, _Hana,_" he said, reassuringly. "I was just deep in thought."

That was partially true, and Hannah somehow knew it, but decided to let it drop. Just then, Optimus announced they were ready to go. Hopping into the blue samurai Autobot's hand, the teenager felt her body tense with nervousness about the looming battle.

* * *

Starscream was standing near Hannah's parents and Barricade when one of his clones announced the Autobots were coming and had the three humans with them. The Decepticon flyer smirked.

"Foolish Autobots," he said as he got his missiles ready.

Optimus saw them in the distance. "Now, Autobots!" he said and they all split up going after a clone while Optimus faced Starscream and Mirage, Crosshairs, and Drift brought their human charges up to Hannah's parents, who were smiling cruelly.

"Finally come to your senses, Hannah?" asked her mother.

To their confusion, she smirked. "Why yes, I have," she said before her face turned very serious. "You should have known you couldn't threaten Uncle Jason and get away with it."

With that, she snapped her fingers and the three Autobots transformed. "Go help Optimus and the others!" said Charlotte. "We'll deal with these crooks!"

As the three Autobots did so, a familiar growl sounded and suddenly Hannah, Charlotte, and Jason were surprised when Steeljaw and Ramhorn rushed past them and tackled the two criminals to the ground, pinning them down and frightening them with angry growls. Then, each of Starscream's clones, five altogether, fell and to everyone's surprise, Barricade was simply standing there watching his leader fight Optimus and the Decepticon flyer was losing until he managed to blast Optimus with a missile, which tore into the Autobot leader's arm, not severing it, but causing some damage. "It's over, Prime," said Starscream.

"It is indeed, Starscream," said Barricade who suddenly jumped up in the air and, to everyone's surprise, brought out two swords and slammed into the Decepticon. At the same time he did so, his color went from black to white and gold and the Autobot symbol glowed proudly on his chest. "I believe the fool is you, Decepticon. As we speak, a very angry Dinobot is tearing apart your base."

Starscream paled at that and shook free, taking off into the sky before suddenly getting slammed into by a huge flying object that shrieked and took him back down to the ground, landing so hard that the witnesses heard the evil Transformer let out one short curse before his spark gave out.

The dust then cleared to reveal a two-headed pterodactyl colored blue and silver. "Whoa, who's that?" asked Hannah and then gestured to the white and gold robot. "And him, for that matter?"

"The Dinobot is Strafe," said Bumblebee. "He helped us ten years ago when we were battling Cemetery Wind."

Strafe squawked a little as he lowered his heads to the yellow Autobot, who petted him. "Hello, old friend," he said.

"Strafe glad to see friends again," said Strafe, making the others smile.

Optimus then turned to the newcomer and noticed Drift was standing next to him. "Everyone, this is Shiftquick, my brother," he said. "He's an expert spy."

Hannah came over. "When you said you were deep in thought, you were calling him, weren't you?" she asked with a knowing smile, remember when her guardian had told her about family bonds.

Drift smirked at her. "You are too smart for your own good, young lady," he said teasingly.

She shrugged. "Can't help that I have a good teacher," she lightly retorted back.

Shiftquick chuckled. "So this is the young charge of yours you spoke so fondly of, brother," he said as he kneeled down. Hannah smiled up at him and Steeljaw's growl drew their attention back to the two criminals who were cowering in fear.

"Hannah! Help us! We're your parents!" said her father.

"Parents?" she asked. "Do you even know the meaning of that word?"

Shaking her head, she looked at Optimus. "I think it's time we handed them to the cops," she said to him.

"They are already on their way," he said as he nodded. "We best secure them and then make our leave."

It was only ten minutes later that they had done so and left and about five minutes later when the police arrived and arrested the two criminals.

* * *

Hannah smiled as she sat on Drift's shoulder as he gave his brother a tour of the base when she suddenly thought of something.

"Hey, Shift?" she asked. "You said a very angry Dinobot destroyed the Decepticon base. But Strafe didn't seem angry when we met him."

The new Autobot chuckled. "The Dinobot I was referring to was Grimlock," he said gently. "He has quite a temper on him that you don't want to provoke."

She giggled. "I'll take your word for it," she said.

"I am curious though at what you just called me," he said.

"Oh, you mean your nickname?" Hannah asked. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, I'm not upset," said Shiftquick. "Drift told me many humans have nicknames and so do you."

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess what he calls me is a nickname in a way," she said.

Drift chuckled. "Hannah, you wouldn't be offended if Shiftquick calls you _Hana_ now and again, would you?" he asked.

Hannah smiled again. "Not at all," she said and then laughed. "Didn't I tell you we'd be waving that victory flag at the end of the day?"

The whole hallway seemed to echo with the brother's and their charge's combined laughter, which was heard by the others who also smiled and basked in the feeling of victory.

* * *

**Yes, the Autobots have won the battle. Only two more chapters left to this story, so stay tuned!**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	14. Drift Free Country True

**Disclaimers in previous chapters.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Drift Free; Country True**

Hannah was having a blast as she held on tight to part of Strafe's back as he flew through the air, giving her a ride. "Ya-hoo!" she cheered as he spun in the air and did all kinds of tricks. The smile on the teen's face couldn't have gotten any bigger than it already was.

Jason and Charlotte came outside and saw Drift and Crosshairs watching the sky. "Drift? Crosshairs? Have you seen Hannah?" asked Charlotte.

They chuckled. "Don't worry, Miss. Charlotte. Strafe is simply giving Hannah a ride," said Drift, indicating upward where the two-headed pterodactyl Dinobot flew by and they heard Hannah's excited yells of joy.

Then Strafe landed gently and curled his tail to lay beside him and straightened up a bit, allowing Hannah to slide down his back and tail safely to the ground. Landing on her feet, but then falling back into the grass, Hannah breathed hard for a moment and then laughed in delight.

"That was awesome!" she said, still laughing as she stood up, but looked a bit unsteady as she started to fall back again.

"Whoa, easy there, _Hana,"_ said Shiftquick as he helped her to regain her balance. She smiled dizzily.

"Totally worth it," she said.

"What? Losing your balance?" asked Jason in a slight teasing tone.

"No, Uncle Jason. Riding a Dinobot," said Hannah. "How many girls can say that they've ridden a giant two-headed pterodactyl that transforms into a huge robot? I'm so the luckiest girl on this planet."

The Autobots all chuckled. "That you are, kiddo," said Crosshairs with a smile.

Jason then cleared his throat. "Hannah, I was wondering. Do you want to stay here?" he asked.

She looked at him. "Of course I do," she said. "I feel like I belong here. I never belonged in Cleveland. But here, I do. Why?"

Charlotte came over and the sunlight caught a gold band on the black woman's left hand. Hannah's jaw dropped.

"You're going to get married!?" she asked. "That's awesome!"

"Yes," said Jason. "But we were wondering if you wanted to stay here because we want to adopt you."

Hannah froze at that. "You want to adopt me?" she asked in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

They nodded. "Yes," said Charlotte. "What do you think, honey girl?"

"You want to adopt me? The bots can stay with us? I'll never go back to those…people again?" Hannah asked, still in a stunned state.

"Yes, yes, and no, in that order," said Jason. "So, what is your answer?"

She blinked for a moment. "One more question," she said and looked at both her uncle Jason and Charlotte. "Can I call you guys Mom and Dad?"

Both smiled and nodded and Hannah let out the happiest squeal they had ever heard come from her. "YES!" she said, happily.

"Yes to what?" Charlotte teased lightly.

"To being adopted!" said Hannah. "My wish came true! Just like you said it would, Mama Charlotte."

"So it did," she said.

Hannah hugged them both. "Thank you so much!" she said and turned to the others. "Isn't this great?" she asked excitedly.

"It is indeed," said Drift.

"Sure is, kiddo," said Crosshairs.

The cassettes gathered around happily and the others cheered in celebration of Jason and Charlotte's upcoming wedding and Hannah's adoption as Blaster played his radio loud and clear, Journey, The Eagles, Diamond Rio, Rascal Flatts, and Alan Jackson all ringing through the air as the celebration went on late into the night.

* * *

**Next chapter is the epilogue.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	15. Epilogue

**Disclaimers in previous chapters and I'd like to add Aika and Alex to that list. **

**"Aika"-Japanese for "love song"**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Epilogue**

_10 years later…_

An excited squeal rang through the air, making Hannah look up from doing the dishes. Curious, she grabbed a hand towel and dried off her hands as she walked to the porch and stepped outside, looking around to see what was going on and saw Strafe flying just above the trees with Bumblebee on his back. One of the yellow Autobot's hands was close to his chest and Hannah saw her daughter's dark hair blowing in the wind as she squealed again. "Faster! Faster!" the four year old giggled out, holding onto on of Bee's fingers as he held her protectively to his chest.

"Your mom will get gray hair if we go any faster, kiddo," said Bumblebee.

"Strafe do trick instead," said Strafe, much to the little girl's excitement.

"Yeah! The slide!" she giggled.

Chuckling, Bumblebee held on as Strafe began to dive down and come up a little bit before diving down again gently, like a roller coaster before he landed gently and straightened up, his tail laying beside him. Bumblebee turned on his hologram and picked up the little girl as his real form jumped down. Then, with a shout of joy from the four year old held securely in his arms, Bee's holoform slid down Strafe's back and down his tail to the ground. When they landed, the little girl jumped out of the holoform's arms before it disappeared and ran up to Hannah with a huge smile.

"Mommy! Did you see me? Did you see me!?" she asked excitedly.

Hannah chuckled and smiled at her daughter. "I did, Aika," she said.

"Can we do it again?" she asked eagerly.

Hannah chuckled again. "Another time, kiddo. I think your uncle Strafe's a little worn out," she said gently.

"What Hannah say true, but Strafe promise tomorrow take Aika for flying again," said Strafe reassuringly, earning a smile from his niece.

"Yeah! Maybe Uncle Drift and Uncle Shiftquick could join us," said Aika.

Two chuckles came from nearby. "Think we could join too?" asked Blaster teasingly.

"Uncle Blaster! Uncle Crosshairs!" Aika squealed and ran to hug them, making them both chuckle as they returned the affection. Just then, Hannah heard her cellphone ring and headed inside.

"I'll be back in a moment," she said to them as she went in and answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Ah, there's my sweet Hannah's voice," said a male voice on the other end, a voice that made her smile.

"You always make me feel so fuzzy in side when you say that, Alex," she said sweetly.

Alex chuckled. "I know. How are you doing, Baby?" he asked.

"I'm doing good, but I miss you, Honey," she said.

"I know, Darling. I have good news. I'm coming home at the end of the week and it's my final tour," he said.

"You're resigning?" she asked in surprise.

"Medical discharge with honors," said Alex. "Remember my arm got hurt?"

"Yes, I do. How is it holding up?" asked Hannah.

"I'll need therapy for a bit, but I'll regain the use of it. I'm very lucky," he said.

Hannah smiled. "God was watching over you," she said. "So, you'll be here on Saturday?"

"My flight leaves late Friday evening, so yes, I'll be home Saturday morning. Oh, before I forget, how's my little sunshine ray doing?"

A loud squeal from Aika followed by her laughter rang clearly through the house, making both husband and wife chuckle. "She's doing wonderful," said Hannah. "Strafe and Bumblebee just gave her another ride through the sky. I think she's going to be a pilot someday with all the flying she does."

Alex laughed heartily. "That's my baby girl, following in her daddy's footsteps," he said. "Although, probably not the Army part."

"Why not?" asked his wife. "You never know, but that's way into the future."

"True," he said and then sighed. "I can't wait to hold my little girl again and to kiss you, Hannah. I miss you so much."

"I know, we miss you too," she said. "Want me to send Shift to get you from the airport?"

"That would be great," said Alex. "Well, I have to go now. My commanding officer is signaling me that it's time for my shift."

"Okay, I love you," said Hannah, giving him a kiss through the phone.

He returned it. "I love you and Aika too," he said. "See you soon."

"See you soon," she returned before they both disconnected the call on each of their ends. Smiling, Hannah went outside and smiled as she witnessed her daughter being tickled by Blaster and Crosshairs, who were taking turns tickling their niece. Even the cassettes were helping out. The heartwarming scene made Hannah smile bigger as she then went up to Drift and Shiftquick. "Hey guys," she said.

"Good evening, _Hana,"_ said Drift with a smile.

"Hello, _Hana,"_ said Shiftquick, also smiling. "From that smile, I'm guessing that was Alex on the phone?"

"Yes," said Hannah. "He's going to be medically discharged with honors because of his arm and he's coming home on Saturday. Shift, could you pick him up at the airport when he comes in?"

"You don't have to ask twice, Hannah," he said with a smile. "I'd do anything for you, Alex, and Aika."

She smiled and jumped a little when her daughter suddenly wrapped her small arms around her mother's legs, giggling. "Mommy, save me!" she giggled out.

Laughing, Hannah played along. "Hurry! Run to Uncle Shiftquick!" she said as she turned to face the others and was playfully knocked down by Steeljaw. Aika's laughter rang out as she watched her mother playfully 'defend' her daughter before everyone finally settled down and Drift scooped Hannah up into his hand so that she could rest. She smiled. "Oh, Aika?" she said.

"Yes, Mommy?" asked the little girl who had her father's eyes and hair, but had her mother's face.

Hannah smiled again. "Guess who's coming home on Saturday?" she asked with a smile.

The four year old's eyes lit up. "Daddy!" she squealed happily, making the others laugh as she jumped around a bit. Shiftquick made sure she didn't fall out of his hand in her excitement. "How long until Saturday, Mommy?"

"Well, today is Thursday, so two more days, honey," she said.

Aika suddenly went quiet. "Mommy, how did Daddy meet my uncles?" she asked curiously.

Smiling, Hannah noted the time. "That would make a good bedtime story for you," she said with another smile.

Shiftquick smiled and nodded. "Yes, that would," he said.

Aika looked hopefully at him. "Will you tell me how Daddy met you and the others, Uncle Shiftquick?" she asked.

He smiled again. "Go with your mother to get ready for bed and I'll come and tell you," he promised as he moved his hand to the ground so that she could safely jump from his hand to the ground. Drift did the same with Hannah and both mother and daughter went inside and Aika was ready in ten minutes for her bedtime story.

* * *

Hannah watched as Shiftquick began the story and then moved away, smiling as she remembered when Alex had met the Autobots. She then glanced outside and smiled, going on and seeking Drift, who was waiting for her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she said.

He transformed down into his car form and she got into the passenger's side, buckling up as he took off down the dirt road and reached a tall hill where Hannah stepped out and he transformed and they saw the city lights in the distance and the clear night sky above them.

"I wonder if Mom and Dad are looking at the same sky in Hawaii right now," she said to him.

Drift chuckled. "I'm sure they are, and I'm sure Mirage is enjoying dancing with the Hawaiian girls."

Hannah laughed along with him. "That sneaky fox," she said. "As long as he doesn't go break their hearts."

The Autobot Samurai laughed again. "No, Mirage isn't one to break a girl's heart," he said. "He's one to help them mend."

"True enough," Hannah agreed as Drift sat down and she swiftly climbed up the armor on his arm up to his shoulder and sat down. He smiled as she did so.

"You're almost a true samurai now," he noted with a chuckle.

She smiled. "Almost," she said. "Will you train Aika too when she gets older?"

"Of course I will," he said.

They looked up at the stars for a moment as peace filled them. "It doesn't seem like ten years, does it?" Hannah asked softly. "Ten years ago, my life changed forever."

"Mmm," Drift hummed in agreement. "It doesn't seem like that long."

She looked at him. "Drift, do you regret any of it? Becoming my guardian, saving me from my birth parents and the Decepticons, and then seeing me get married and have my daughter?" she asked.

He smiled. "I don't regret any of it, _Hana,"_ he said. "What about you? Do you wish it had been different?"

"No," she said immediately. "But I do wish I had come to live at Dad's ranch a lot sooner than I had. Life would have been better then…but I don't have any regrets."

With a chuckle, Drift turned to her and very gently kissed her forehead in affection, making Hannah smile as she hugged him and he returned the hug. Granted, he was a large Autobot and she was a human, but that didn't matter to them.

When they returned home an hour later, they saw Aika was fast asleep in her room and the other Autobots, with the exception of Shiftquick, were also sound asleep. The white and gold Autobot smiled at his brother and his charge. Hannah smiled back as she got ready to head inside for bed herself. "Goodnight, Shiftquick. Goodnight, Drift," she said with a smile.

"Goodnight, Hannah," they both said before transforming down to sleep. Smiling, she got ready for bed and had just gotten in bed when Drift's holoform appeared beside her, gently tucking her in like he had done for her every night since she had become Jason and Charlotte's daughter. Hannah now smiled.

"Goodnight, my guardian Samurai," she said.

"Goodnight, _Hana," _he said, smiling again before his holoform dispersed and peace settled over everyone at the ranch as night lay over the land like a warm, starry blanket of dreams.

* * *

**And that finishes "Drifting Country Flower". A big thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, and liked my story. You all made this story a hit and here's another surprise, I have another Transformers story in the works. It will be called "The Spark's Song Never Fades", so be on the lookout for it.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	16. Bonus

**Here it is. The long awaited bonus chapter! Now, this chapter does have how Alex met the Autobots but also what led up to the meeting as well, so be warned, this chapter will make you cry and smile at the same time. Also, bit of a surprise at the end too. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimers in previous chapters.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Bonus**

Hannah had just gotten out of school and was about to get her phone and call Drift when she was suddenly pushed to the ground. "Hey, freak," said one boy, sneering at her. "Should you be underground?"

"Totally," agreed the girl by him. "I mean, look at her."

Hannah tried to get up, but got kicked to the ground again and then kicked in the arms and her stomach, making her breathing come out in gasps of pain. She had to reach her phone and alert her family.

"Hey!" a voice cried out as a young man came up to the group, a sheriff deputy behind him. "What is wrong with you, jerks?"

The sheriff looked at the young man. "Alex, tend to the girl. I'm taking the rest of you in," he said.

"Yes, sir," said the young man as he kneeled beside Hannah and helped her up, leading her to a bench as she gasped again in pain. "Are you okay?"

Hannah coughed as she tried to breathe again, but it was hard. "You need to get to a hospital," said Alex worriedly.

"No, wait," Hannah gasped out before coughing again.

"What?" he asked. "You might be really hurt. You need a doctor."

She heard the urgency in his voice. "My phone," she gasped out. "Take it. Press number 6. Tell him who you are. He'll come."

"Who?" asked Alex.

"My uncle." She coughed again. "He's a medic."

Knowing every minute counted, as he was worried Hannah might have internal bleeding from being kicked in the stomach, the young man quickly pressed number 6 on Hannah's touch-screen phone and put the phone up to his ear as it rung.

"Hannah?" asked a voice at the other end.

"No, my name is Alex. I'm with Hannah right now, but some bullies came and they hurt her badly. She got kicked around by them before my dad and I pulled up to stop them. She might have internal bleeding, but I don't know for sure. She said you're her uncle," said Alex.

"I am," said the voice. "Where are you both now?"

"Outside the school on one of the benches. Hannah's gasping for air and she's coughing too."

"Alright. Stay with her. I'm on my way."

Alex handed back the phone. "Your uncle's coming," he said. "I'm staying until he arrives."

Just as he said that, sirens wailed and a green medical rescue Hummer pulled up and a man jumped out. "Hannah!" he called out and quickly scooped her up into his arms. She gasped a bit in pain and Ratchet tried to move a bit more gently. Alex took Hannah's backpack.

"I'll be right behind you!" he said urgently and jumped into his car, quickly following the rescue vehicle as it pulled away.

"Hannah, are you alright?" asked Ratchet as he drove.

"Hurts," Hannah gasped. "Uncle Ratchet, is…it…bad?"

"I'll know a bit more when we get home," he said. "Just keep breathing deep. That's it. Good girl."

The teenage girl followed her uncle's instructions and they made it to the ranch just a few moments before Alex had and Ratchet got Hannah into the medbay, scanning her and was relieved that despite having some bruises, she was alright and he treated her quickly, telling her to rest.

"You should be better in a couple of days," he said.

A knock came and Ratchet turned his holoform self to the door and opened it to see Alex standing there. "Is she okay?" he asked worriedly.

"She is," said the medic, wondering why Alex stuck around.

The young man held up Hannah's backpack. "Thought she might need this," he said. "Can I see her?"

Ratchet cocked an eyebrow, but nodded. "A few minutes," he said. Alex nodded and went in, seeing Hannah turn her head to look at him and smile.

"Hey," she said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said. "My dad's the sheriff. He'll make sure those punks get the punishment they deserve. Meantime, what can I do for you?"

She smiled again. "You've already done a lot," she said, a grateful note in her voice.

Alex looked at the calendar on the wall. "You're probably gonna miss school the next couple of days," he said. "How about I get your schoolwork from your teachers and drop it off every day in the afternoon?"

"You don't have to do that. I can get it later," she said.

"But then you'll be behind," he said gently. "Please?"

She looked at him for a moment. "Why are you insisting on doing so?" she asked.

Alex looked at her. "My little brother is one of those bullies that hurt you," he said, a grimace on his face. "I guess I feel responsible for that. And by helping you…,"

"You'd feel better and you wouldn't feel guilty," she finished and smiled. "Your brother actions are not your fault. But if it would make you feel better, then okay, you could do that. It would be a big help and I'm sure I could do at least a little work each day, so I don't get too far behind."

Alex smiled at her. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then," he said.

Hannah nodded. "Thanks again," she said before she closed her eyes, indicating she was tired. Alex watched for a moment and then headed out.

"Thanks," he said to Ratchet. "I'll be back tomorrow."

With that, he headed off and the medic became thoughtful. This young man had saved Hannah's life and had stayed by her and was now wanting to help because he felt responsible for her being hurt, even though he had nothing to do with it. With a thoughtful hum, he went to tell the others that Hannah was alright and to let them know about the young man who seemed very interested in Hannah.

* * *

For the next two days, Alex came with Hannah's schoolwork and she would work on some of it and he would help her out when she needed it and they would chat in-between working on schoolwork. Then, on the weekend, Alex came back again to visit and help Hannah out. Thanks to him, she got all but one assignment done by Saturday evening. "I'll do this one tomorrow," she said. "My uncle has been lenient so far with me doing schoolwork when I should be resting more, but he understands I get a little restless."

"I would too," he said and then looked at the time. "Whoa, where did the time go?"

Hannah also looked and saw it was three in the afternoon. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I took up your time," she said.

"No you didn't," said Alex, smiling. "I came here to help you, as I promised. So what if the whole day was spent here in a hospital room? I got to spend it with you, even though we did schoolwork, mostly."

She was stunned by his reply and blushed a little. "I'm grateful for your help," she said. "Maybe when I get better, we can go on a date. Maybe to the movies?"

Alex looked at her and blushed a bit. "Uh…sure," he said. "Yeah, that would be great."

Both then looked away as their blushes grew. Alex then cleared his throat. "Well, I better get going," he said. "I'll catch you later."

"Okay," she said, smiling at him. "Thanks again, Alex."

"Anytime," he said, returning her smile and heading out. "Wow," he said to himself. "Dad was right. Cupid is always on the go."

With that, he headed out, not seeing two small robots who looked at each other and then headed around the corner to speak to someone.

The next day, which was a Sunday, Hannah woke up and got working on the final assignment she had to do. She had just finished typing it up on her laptop and saving it to print later when a knock came at her door. She pressed the intercom speaker on the side rung of the bed. "Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Alex."

Hannah immediately checked to see she was presentable. "Come in," she said after a moment.

Alex was nervous as he stepped in to the room, carrying a vase filled with purple roses. Hannah gasped in surprise. "Oh, my word, they're beautiful!" she said.

"Thanks," said Alex as he set them down on the nearby table. "I…grew them myself."

She looked at him. "You grew these? Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. My dad studied about flowers and cross-breeding them. He's made some pretty neat ones and he showed me how to do it," said the young man. "I've been working for a few years to get these roses just right," he said. "Do you…like them?"

"I love them," she said. "How did you know purple was one of my favorite colors?"

"I guess your purple backpack gave it away," he chuckled.

She giggled and blushed as she looked at him. In the time she had been in the school, she had never really wanted to get to know a boy because the ones at school had been very immature, but Alex was very mature, very polite, and very nice to her. She realized she really liked him.

Eject watched from the door as he saw Hannah giggle and laugh with Alex and gaze at him, always smiling. He realized that she was just as interested in Alex as he was in her. Slipping away, he headed back to tell the others.

* * *

The next week had flown by and soon it was the final day of school for all the students. Hannah, at seventeen, was excited because she had only one more year of school before she graduated. Well, technically, she only had two classes she needed to graduate, but that was okay with her. She was looking forward to it.

Alex greeted her as she came out and handed her a bouquet of yellow roses. "Great job," he said.

"Thank you," she said, inhaling the scent of the roses.

"If you want, we can grab some munchies at the fast food joint and go catch that movie you've been wanting to see," he offered.

She smiled. "Let me ask my parents first," she said.

"Sure," he said. "I'll let my dad know too."

Both he and Hannah got the okay from their folks and they headed off in Alex's car, which was an old Mustang he had worked on with his father for a long time. Hannah thought it was a great car and often said so to him, making him feel like he was on top of the world.

Later that afternoon, he dropped her off at her home. "Thanks, Alex. I had a lot of fun," said Hannah.

"Me too, Hannah," he said. "Um…I was wondering, may I kiss you?"

She was a bit stunned and then smiled. "Yes, you may," she said, feeling her feelings for him grow, especially when he kissed her gently on the mouth. It was her first kiss and it felt wonderful to her and she smiled hugely when he gently pulled away. He was also smiling.

"See you later," he said, blushing a little.

She was also blushing. "See you later," she said as she watched him walk back to his car and she opened the door to the house, smiling at him over her shoulder and waving as he started up his car and drove away, waving back before he turned back to the road and she went in the house, feeling like she was a princess.

She placed the roses in a vase and set them on a table in her room before she looked out the window to see Drift practicing with his swords again. She headed outside to see him and the others all gathered around, talking quietly.

"Hi, guys!" she said cheerfully. "What's going on?"

They looked at her. "Hannah, we need to talk about Alex," said Prime seriously.

Hannah's smile fell. "What about him?" she asked, worriedly.

"You spend a lot of time with him," said Crosshairs, sounding a bit gruff.

"Well, yes, I do," Hannah admitted.

"This is the tenth date in two weeks," said Eject, frowning.

"What are you getting at?" the seventeen-year-old girl finally asked.

Blaster spoke up next. "Hannah, do you like Alex?" he asked. "Like, really like him?"

She looked at him. "Yes, I do," she said before smiling and then blushing. "He's…amazing."

"Until he breaks your heart," said Drift, who to Hannah's surprise, actually sounded angry.

"Whoa! Hold up!" she said. "What are you talking about?"

Shiftquick stepped up and sat down near where Hannah stood. "_Hana, _we're worried that he'll hurt you, especially when he finds out about us," he said gently, hoping to calm her down.

However, Hannah was upset. "Alex would never hurt me!" she said defensively.

"Why don't you let us be the judge of that?" asked Crosshairs.

"We need to be certain he's good enough for you and the only way is for him to meet us and see how he reacts to us," said Hound.

That made Hannah angrier. "Do you guys have a few screws loose!? If anything, Alex will react very similar to how I did when you sprung out at me!" she said. "I don't want you guys scaring him to death!"

"Oh, we'll scare him alright," said Crosshairs, pulling out his guns and twirling them. "He'll be running for the hills."

Hannah had now heard enough and was shaking with anger. "You scrapheaps!" she yelled, making them start slightly at her scream. "I really like this guy and you're not even going to let me introduce him to you when I'm ready!"

"When will you be ready, Hannah?" asked Drift sharply. "It's too obvious to us that you like him beyond a friend. We don't want you to get more involved until he meets us."

She looked at him. "In other words, you don't want me to spend time with him!" she said, angry tears now running down her face.

"We need to see if he's good enough," said Hound again.

She wanted to run away and now turned angrily at Hound. "What about the time he helped me when I was hurt and visited me as I was recovering?! Didn't that speak enough about him?" she asked.

"Only that he was very interested in you," said Ratchet. "I could sense it that he thought you were attractive and while he felt guilty about you being hurt, he also wanted to be near you. A sure sign he's hoping to find a future mate in you."

Now, Hannah was not only super embarrassed, but also super angry and her tears wouldn't stop. Shiftquick noticed and went to place a hand around her, but to his shock, she moved away from his hand, glaring at him. "I can't believe you guys!" she said. "You don't know Alex like I do!"

"And we'll know him better when we meet him," said Crosshairs.

"He'll be terrified of you, just like I was!" Hannah protested.

"Then that means he's not good enough for you," said Drift. "Hannah, until we meet Alex, you must stay away from him. It's for your own good."

That was the last straw for Hannah. First they wanted to meet him and now they were telling her to stay away because they didn't think he was good enough for her? She couldn't control her tears now.

"Hannah," said Bumblebee, transforming down to vehicle mode, opening the door as an invitation for her to get in. He often did that when she was upset and often the drive would help her to calm down and think about a problem and solve it.

Glaring at him, she did the one thing that she knew would tell him that she didn't want to even be near him.

She slammed the door so hard it actually made him rock on his shocks a bit. "Go roll in a mud pit!" she said angrily.

"Hannah!" said Drift sternly, but she turned and glared at him.

"I hate you! All of you!"

That shocked all of them into silence and Hannah ran away from them and into the house, slamming her bedroom door shut and shutting the window in her room and closing the blinds, sending a very clear message that she was angry at them and didn't want them around her. Falling onto her bed, she grabbed her pillow and cried into it, her harsh crying echoing off the walls enough for the Autobots outside to hear.

* * *

Bumblebee tried to rub his sore door wing, but couldn't reach it. Ratchet looked at it and deactivated the pain receptors, which helped a little. Shiftquick came over and used a special samurai technique to help the yellow Autobot's door wing feel better. His hands glowed warmly as the warmth soothed the pain away. "She didn't manage to tear any cables, did she?" he asked, knowing how sensitive door wings were.

"No," said Bumblebee. "But she was really upset. She usually just tells me she doesn't want to go for a drive, but she acted like she didn't even want to be near me."

"And what she said after just drove that point home further," said Optimus.

"Do you think she really meant it?" asked Eject, his voice sounding like he might cry. Blaster gathered him in his arms.

"Humans often say things that are hurtful when they are hurting," he answered softly.

"I think it might be best to leave her be for now," said Shiftquick. "She'll come out and apologize when she's ready."

"All the same, I'm having her do extra training for what she said and for hurting Bumblebee," said Drift firmly.

The next few days that followed were tense as Hannah did the chores and then did training with Drift, although it was clear she didn't want to, but she did that and the extra training without any verbal complaint. But on the evening of the third day, Hannah decided that there was only one way to show the Autobots that they had won. She called Alex.

"Hannah, haven't heard for you in a bit," said Alex, a smile in his voice.

"Alex, I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking as tears formed. "I…I can't see you anymore."

"What?" he asked. "Hannah, are you alright?"

"Yes," she lied. "I…I'm not good enough for you. Okay? You deserve better."

She tried to unsuccessfully hold back a sob. "I'm sorry," she said again and hung up the phone, crying into her pillow again as she felt her heart literally being ripped in two pieces.

Eject, who had been listening by Hannah's door, now ran back to the others. "Guys! She just broke up with Alex!" he said.

"What?" asked Prime as the others looked shocked.

Eject took a deep breath. "Hannah called Alex and told him she couldn't see him anymore," he said and replayed the conversation between Hannah and Alex. When the recording stopped, the Autobots all looked at each other worriedly. Even Drift was feeling worried.

"She's really hurt," said Bumblebee. "Even though she had hurt us with her words, she's hurting just as much."

"We need to talk to her," said Drift, stepping toward the house.

"Wait, brother," said Shiftquick. "Let me try."

Knowing what he meant, because Hannah would probably just shut down more if Drift tried to talk to her, the blue samurai nodded and let his brother go ahead.

* * *

Hannah came out, putting on a fleece pullover as she walked down the dirt driveway, her face stained with tears that kept falling and hitting the dirt road. Shiftquick transformed into his alt mode, a white and gold Mustang Shelby Cobra, and soon pulled up to her. "_Hana, _would you allow me to accompany you?" he asked in a gentle voice.

She looked at him, stopping for a moment. He stopped and opened the passenger door for her. She stood there for a moment and then shrugged. "Sure," she said in a monotone voice and slipped in, grabbing the door and closing it with much more gentleness than she had with Bumblebee's door. Silently, Shiftquick began driving and Hannah stayed silent, but then perked up a little when she saw the white samurai was taking her to the lake that wasn't too far from the ranch. Getting out, she walked for a bit down on the rocks, finding a huge flat rock where the lake came up to it like it was holding it up. Taking off her shoes and socks, she put her feet and lower legs in the water, moving them around absentmindedly.

Shiftquick sat down on the shore nearby, which was on Hannah's right, and looked to the horizon for a bit. He then looked at the young girl.

"You're still upset," he said gently.

She looked down at that. "Yeah, so?" she asked, her voice still monotone.

"I and the others are worried," he said, keeping his tone gentle and hoping to persuade her to talk to him.

Hannah looked to the sharp rocks on her left. "Why should you and they be worried?" she asked. "You're not the ones getting over a broken heart because your guardians decided to ruin your life and the one chance you had with someone you really liked enough to want to be more than friends."

Her voice was flat and he heard her anger in her words. "Hannah, we were just worried about you," he said gently. "We knew it would be hard on you if you fell in love and when the boy you liked found out about us and decided you weren't worth it. That is why we want to meet Alex. He does seem nice and has definitely shown he is mature and polite to you, but when it comes down to it, would he be there for you when he found out about us?"

Hannah sighed at that. "Well, you won't have to worry about that," she said, pulling her legs up so that her arms rested on her bent knees. "I broke with Alex. He's not coming back and I'm not going to see him ever again."

Shiftquick nodded. "Eject overheard your conversation with him and told us," he said.

She scoffed. "Great, not one bit of privacy with you eavesdroppers around. What next? Tapping my phone?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit angrier now.

The white and gold samurai didn't answer her right away. He just looked at the horizon again as Hannah put her legs back down in the water again, moving them around and wishing the waves would ease her pain.

"_Hana, _did you mean what you said a few nights ago?" asked the white Autobot quietly.

She was quiet as she knew what he was referring to. Pulling her legs up to her chest again, she put her face in her arms and felt more tears form. She heard her companion shift and looked up in time to see his hand come near her and gently pick her up. She let him, to his surprise. But when he brought her close to his chest where she could hear his spark beating, her tears came pouring out and she sobbed loudly, flinching a little when Shiftquick moved one finger to gently rub her back, but then he noticed she was reaching forward a bit and he brought her closer to him, letting her grab onto part of his armor and cling to him as she continued to cry. He didn't say a word, but just kept gently rubbing her back, waiting for her tears to stop on their own.

It took a bit, but Hannah finally stopped crying, looking up at her companion with bloodshot eyes. "Shiftquick?" she croaked, her voice sounding like she had a sore throat, which she no doubt did from all her crying.

"Yes, _Hana?"_ he asked gently.

"Can we go home? I need to talk to everyone," she said.

He nodded and took her back to the ranch, where she went inside and washed her face, the cold water soothing her sore face muscles and helping her eyes not look so bloodshot. When she was done, she looked out the window and was a bit surprised to see Bumblebee there and he was smiling at her. "Feeling better?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said, her voice not as monotone, but still sad. "How about you? Is your door wing okay?"

Smiling, he showed her that it was working fine, but he saw her face look even sadder. "I'm really sorry, Bee. I shouldn't have slammed your door, no matter how upset I was," she said as she leaned out a bit more and saw they were all gathered. Her face turning red, she looked down for a moment and took a deep breath. "And I'm really sorry to all of you, for not only what I said, but also my actions. Even though I was angry, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did and I have no excuse for my actions."

She looked down as shame turned her face to a dark red, mentally bracing herself for the verbal lashing she deserved, even though she had apologized.

"Hannah," said Optimus and she barely suppressed a flinch when he spoke her name, but she looked up at him, showing him he had her full attention. "Your words were not only hurtful, but were wrong as well."

She nodded in understanding. "Yes, they were," she said softly.

"As you admitted, you indeed had no excuse for such words and for your actions," he continued, his voice taking on a bit of a stern note.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" asked Drift, looking very stern.

Hannah shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "Except that I take full responsibility for my actions and whatever…corrective action you feel is needed, I shall endure with no complaint."

Optimus nodded. "I accept your apology," he said, the stern note gone from his voice. The others echoed his statement, except for Drift. Hannah had a feeling he had more to say and she was right as she saw the others move away to give them space. Shiftquick paused before heading away.

"Brother, please do not be too harsh with her," he said. "She is still hurting and I believe she has learned her lesson."

"Perhaps, but that still doesn't excuse her actions," said the blue samurai.

"I agree, brother," said Shiftquick. "But remember, she is also your charge and needs love just as much as discipline."

With that, the white and gold samurai walked away, leaving both Hannah and Drift there to talk. "Hannah, come outside," said Drift.

Nodding, she did as she was told, standing in front of him, waiting for him to speak. When he did, his words were sharp like his swords.

"Hannah, I'm quite disappointed," he said. "Your words and actions were inexcusable and uncalled for."

Hannah flinched and hung her head, shame filling her with every word her guardian spoke. She then looked up at her guardian again, remembering it was rude to not look at the person speaking to you, even if you were embarrassed and ashamed.

The stern look remained on Drift's face as he spoke again. "As for your punishment, you will not have samurai lessons with me for one week and during that week, you will go over your prior lessons every afternoon until my watch and whenever you go into town, I will accompany you. Do you understand?"

Flinching a little, she looked up at him. "Yes, _Sensei,_ I understand and accept my punishment," she said softly and with respect.

Nodding, he dismissed her and she went to her room, still sad as she realized Drift was still upset at her. Hoping that he wouldn't be so upset after the week was over, she decided to apologize to him again then.

* * *

The week that followed wasn't much of a happy one for Hannah as she served her punishment, not complaining once about it. While she was glad that Drift didn't speak sternly to her after the other night and didn't bring up what had happened, she could still see the disappointment in his face as he watched her do her prior lessons.

It was on the sixth evening of that week that she sought out Shiftquick, who was cleaning his swords when she came in. "Hello, _Hana," _he greeted with a smile.

"Hi, Shift," she said. "Can…can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he said, putting a hand down for her to climb into. She did and he lifted her close to his face. "What is bothering you?" he asked gently.

"Is Drift still angry with me?" she asked.

Shiftquick looked a bit surprised, but then shook his head. "He was disappointed in you, Hannah, but he's not angry with you at all," he said. "Why do you ask?"

Hannah looked down for a moment. "I've noticed how over the week that I've been under his watch, he still gives me a stern look, even when I apologized again to him, he didn't tell me if he accepted it or not," she said, some tears coming to her eyes. "I wish he did, but if he doesn't, I can't say I blame him."

Shiftquick was quiet for a moment. "Would you like me to talk to him?" he asked her.

She looked up at him. "Would you, please?" she asked. "I'm not sure how to approach him about it."

The next morning, Hannah was up and having nothing better to do, decided to go to the training grounds and sit quietly until it was time for practice. It would give her some space and some time to think about what she'd say in her next apology to Drift. She was thinking so deeply that she didn't see Eject coming up to her with his brothers and Blaster until she felt him hug her. She looked at him and returned the hug.

"I forgive you, Hannah," he said.

"We all forgive you," said Blaster. "We just wanted you to know that."

She smiled. "Thanks, guys," she said, hugging them all, but feeling empty as the one bot she wanted forgiveness from hadn't given it yet. Throughout the morning, the other Autobots came and told her they forgave her and while it cheered her up a bit, it still didn't ease the emotional pain she felt because she realized Drift may not forgive her at all.

That afternoon, after she had finished going over the last lesson she had before the whole mess had started, Drift called her over. She immediately headed over to him, but her expression was still sad.

"Yes, _Sensei?"_ she asked respectfully.

"Hannah, you have proven that you truly are repentful of your hurtful words and actions," he said. "We will continue lessons in two days."

She nodded. "Yes, sir," she said. "And I promise that something like this will not happen again."

He nodded. "Very good," he said. "You may go about your day."

As she walked away, the emotional pain came back very strong. Drift may have accepted her apology, but he hadn't said he forgave her. Shoulders slumped, she walked to her room, sitting down on her bed and gazing at her phone. Making a decision, she dialed Alex's number. It went to his voicemail after a few rings.

"Alex, it's me," she said. "There's something I need to tell you, something I should have told you long before now. Please call me. It's important."

With that, she ended the call and sighed, going about the day until later that evening, her phone rang and it was Alex's number. She answered it.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he said. "I wasn't expecting a call from you."

She sighed softly. "Yeah," she said. "Alex, I owe you an apology. The day I called and said that I couldn't see you anymore, I was upset over an argument that I had with my family and I wasn't exactly thinking straight. And I'm very sorry for that. You didn't deserve any of that."

Alex was quiet for a moment. "What the argument about us?" he asked.

"Not really," she said. "They want to meet you, but I'm concerned because…well…my family is very different from any family in the world."

"Can't be any different from mine," he said to make her feel better.

She did chuckle a little. "You have no idea," she said. "But I wanted to ask you, can you come tomorrow? I want you to meet my family. And do you think you can give me a second chance?"

"Of course I can," he said. "When you had called me that day, I figured maybe I had overstepped the line and you needed space."

"Well, I did need space," she admitted. "So, you'll come?"

"Yes," said Alex. "And don't worry. I'm sure your family and I will get along fine."

"I hope so," said Hannah. "See you tomorrow."

Just as she hung up, she heard a light knock at her window and looked to see Drift looking in at her. Smiling, she went over. "I guess you heard all that?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Hannah, I spoke with Shiftquick. You know you could have come to me if you were wanting to know something," he said.

She nodded. "Yeah, but I wasn't sure how to ask you," she admitted.

Drift chuckled a little. "I guess just as some words can hurt a person, some words are needed to comfort a person too," he said. "But I forgive you, Hannah. For everything."

She looked at him hopefully. "Really?" she asked.

"Really, and you deserve my forgiveness because you not only apologized several times, but you showed you regretted what had happened. I should had told you that long before now."

Feeling much better now, she jumped into his hand as he brought it up to her window and he stood up with her sitting in his hand as he walked for a bit before sitting down and putting her on his shoulder, feeling her hug him. "Thanks, Drift," she said. "I know you and the others are only looking out for me and you've never let me down."

"And I never will," he promised.

* * *

The next day, Alex pulled up into the driveway with his father in his father's police car. Hannah came out to greet them. "I'm glad you're here," she said. "Now let's do this before I chicken out, because I'm seriously close to doing that."

Alex smiled. "It can't be that bad," he said, trying to ease her nerves.

Just then, the gathered Autobots transformed, startling Alex who looked in amazement and a little fear. His father didn't look too alarmed.

"Well, looks like the whole team is together," he said as he pressed a button on his car keys and to everyone's surprise, the black paint job on his police car changed to red, white, and blue and the car transformed into a femme Autobot. Prime recognized her right away.

"Strongarm," he said. "I didn't know you had arrived on Earth."

"Prime," she said with a respectful salute. "I had arrived not long after you and your team won the battle with Cemetery Wind. I was fortunate to escape detection and when Officer Claymore had found me, he repaired me. I agreed to help him with his line of work and keep him and Alex safe."

Alex was stunned and then chuckled. "Well, I guess I was right, Hannah," he said. "Your family's not much different from mine."

"Yeah, you were," she said and was surprised when he pulled her into a kiss. She kissed him back and then stepped back slowly. "What does that mean for us?" she asked softly.

Alex held her. "It means we can be together," he said. "If you still want me."

"Do you still want me?" she asked.

They looked at each other and kissed again with the others watching. When they broke away, Alex smiled at her.

"I want no other girl," he said to her.

"And I want no other boy," she said.

And that sealed the deal for them.

* * *

**Here you all go and yes, Alex's father has an Autobot partner, the femme Strongarm from the new Robots In Disguise coming soon. Thank you all for reviewing and enjoying this story.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


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